The Coming Dawn
by How-not-to-do-something
Summary: Now joined by a new Otherworlder, Koko and her crew race to a new land. But danger lurks behind every corner, and conspiracies are unveling. The world will never be the same. Rated M for violence, some sexual content, and poor writing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome, my dear reader, to the third installment of this story. If you are reading this one first I would recommend reading "Lost in Transition" first and "In a Faraway Land" second, to bring you up to speed. The latter isn't as necessary admittedly, but you'd be losing out on details otherwise. Up to you. To old readers, lets pretend the second one didn't happen. Unless you thought it was good, in which case props.**

 **If you already have, then grab some popcorn and strap yourself in. Its going to be a bumpy ride.**

* * *

Chatter. Chatter chatter.

Chatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatterchatter-

Teeth quietly rattled. Mouths working. Imitating speaking. Ten pairs huddling in the dark cave. Cold. Afraid. Waiting. Hiding. Black robes obscured their bodies. They hid. Hiding from the Others. If Others found them things would happen. Hopefully they would leave them alone. No challenge. Maybe pity. If not then death. Kill them before they could grow. Become threat. Bad. Avoid. Hide from Others. Only leader. Can only trust leader. Leader hides them. Leader fights off Others. Until they are large enough. Then leader leaves. They'll be mature then. Able to defend themselves. Maybe fight Others. Maybe fight each other. Maybe last long enough to guard new young. Live long enough to turn them out too. Or die when a strong Other attacks. Young slaughtered. Avoid. Hide.

Grey Hatch is young. She is weak. She can't defend herself. If an Other comes she'll die. She doesn't want to die. She saw leader fight off an Other before. Awe. Envy. Ambition to become like leader. Grey Hatch decided to become like leader. Grow large horns like her. Have large claws like her. Use large sword like her. Fight with power and grace. Maybe kill leader. Eventually. Probably not though. Die fighting someone stronger than Grey Hatch. Maybe remember leader. Maybe not. But weak now. Hide until then.

All young similar. Nine others. Too many to kill in one attack. Too few to be obvious. Can hide until strong enough. They'll leave then. Kill and be killed. Grey Hatch wondered sometimes. Maybe they don't have to fight. Maybe live together like young. She forgot the idea. If one didn't kill then they would be killed. 'Way our world works' said leader. Leader is right. Leader knows best.

Grey Hatch heard a noise. Crunching rock. Shifting dust. Footsteps.

Ten huddled robes dove for cover. Hiding behind rocks. Hiding in small holes. Hiding in shadows. Doesn't matter where. All that matters is hiding. Maybe they wouldn't know they were there. Maybe. Indistinct sounds. Not wind. Not weapons. Ordered noise. Voices. Faint. Growing louder. A flash of light. Weapons being readied? No. Too bright. Too strong. Continuous. Not like weapons. Grey hatch was confused. A grunt.

" _Oof!_ " the muffled cry went.

" _You okay doctor!?_ " yelled a new voice. Its strange. Deep. Loud. But more than that. Emotional?

" _Yeah I'm fine. Just tripped on a rock_ " said the grunter. The voice was like the Others. But louder too. More composed. A voice that sounded like it was used a lot. This puzzled Grey Hatch. Who spoke often? It invited attackers.

" _Alright. Just try to be more careful"_ the deep speaker consoled. The second one huffed.

" _I will. Say, this looks like a deep cave. Moko, come on down here. Check this out_ " the second called out.

Grey Hatch forced herself still. She was confused. How did she know these strange words? What they meant? Didn't matter. Others coming. Hidehidehide. Don't let Others find her. Finding meant death.

" _Ow!_ "

" _Are you okay Moko?_ "

" _Yeah, just bumped my head._ " A chuckle. Louder. Closer.

Grey Hatch shrunk behind her rock. Be still. In dark cave they couldn't see her. Maybe. Other young doing that too. Hiding in shadows. Hiding in recesses. Didn't matter where. Out of sight. Maybe Others find nothing and leave them be. Cone of light swept over. Missed Grey Hatch by inches. She didn't know what that light was like. Didn't want to know. Moving really fast though. May not be able to avoid.

" _Wow. This cave reminds me of those ancient mines in Europe, Roman era ones. You know what I'm talking about Moko?_ "

" _A little. This whole place is giving me a really bad feeling doctor._ "

" _Oh relax. As much as I don't like it that thing you got is enough protection._ "

" _I don't think so. I went through a whole magazine just to get that one. If I was just a little slower that thing would've taken your head off._ "

" _True. I got an idea! Next time lets bring Karen along! I bet she'll love to take one of them on._ "

" _Doctor, we're here because you lied to her, said we're heading to that robotics symposium. Asking her to tag along is a bad idea. Actually, coming here at all is a bad idea._ "

Closer all the time. Grey Hatch was scared. Her teeth kept threatening to clack together. Chatter in fear. The second she made a noise they would hear her. They would find her. She will die.

" _You're right, oh well_ " the second commented.

The pair finally stepped into sight. Grey Hatch was confused at these Others behavior before. She was dumbfounded at their appearance now. The first of them looked like an Other but taller. Taller than leader even. But she had clothes covering every inch of her skin save for her head. Her head was the most normal part about her. She was pretty with orange hair and large rimed glasses that hid her eyes. In her hands was a tiny tube that was the source of the light cone.

The second one was even weirder. It too was bundled up like the second. But it was far taller than the second. It was thick too. Thick and bundled so probably strong. In its hands was a long brown and black weapon that was unlike anything Grey Hatch had ever seen before. She knew it was a weapon because of the way it held it while sweeping the end of it around. Another light tube was attached underneath the weapon. His dark skin was the only thing not weird about him. Him?

How did she knew he was a he? What was a he? Grey Hatch was getting tired of being confused. She wanted them to leave the cave and never come back so she and the other young could grow in peace and not be killed until they were ready. That was what she wanted. Not confusion.

" _Still, maybe we can-_ " she swung the light over Grey Hatch. For a second she was exposed. The light cone stopped.

" _Whats the matter?_ " the man asked anxiously.

" _I think I just saw someone_ " the woman answered. Grey Hatch's breath sputtered. Her subdued fear came back to life. She huddled closer to her rock to hide further.

" _Where?_ " the man pressed. The light cone shifted back to her. The edges of her robe was caught in the light.

" _It was...here!_ " she exclaimed as the full weight of the blinding light focused on her. Her teeth were silent until that point. Leader made it clear that chattering would attract danger. With as scared as she was Grey Hatch couldn't help it. Her teeth began to clack together.

" _Back away doctor!_ " the man bellowed. Grey Hatch could see him raise the weapon to point the end at her. The woman shot a flat palm at him.

" _Moko, wait!_ " she yelled.

" _Its one of them!_ " he protested. He lined up the weapon's sights on Grey Hatch. She stared death in the face and hyperventilated.

"Moko! Just! Wait!" she shrieked at him.

He cringed. His wide eyes switched between her and Grey Hatch. Indecision tore at his being. But he didn't fire the weapon. He breathed heavily from the adrenaline in his system beginning to seep away. The woman breathed deeply too. Her glasses covered eyes stared defiantly at him.

With an angry snort he relented. The end of the weapon (rifle?) lowered.

" _Please. Just a minute_ " the woman heaved. He scowled. She shakily nodded.

Her glasses turned to Grey Hatch. In her terror the thought of leaving didn't cross her mind. Now that she wasn't in immediate danger she considered it. They were Others. They were hostile. Running was her best chance. Maybe death outside versus certain death here. By the sound of it some of the other young already did. But in their sight like she was it wouldn't work. She should stay put or die.

But she was still alive. Despite everything she knew of how the world worked she was still alive. Why did they spare her? She was a young one. Easy prey. Whether for sport or pragmatism thy should've killed her. Their looks were different. Their actions were different. Everything about them was different. Perhaps...Had her quiet wish to get along with the Others been granted?

" _Hi there_ " she whispered. Cautious. Guarded. Grey Hatch was feeling anxious. She wanted to run and hide. But she didn't. She stayed in sight. Matched gazes with the Other. Her teeth clattered lightly.

" _Aw, poor thing. You must be scared out of your mind right now_ " she cooed. Grey Hatch was very scared.

" _Hang on_ " the woman dug at her clothes. Rustling made Grey Hatch shiver. A few seconds later she produced a small white rectangle. No lights preceded it. Another odd thing. She held the rectangle out to Grey Hatch. She looked at it.

" _Its okay. Thats a candy bar. I think your kind like candy. Try it_ " she encouraged. Grey Hatch was nervous. Maybe it was a trick? Leader tricked them sometimes. Said it was to 'teach them'. But why? They could've killed her several times by now.

An eye blink. Grey Hatch snatched the rectangle out of her hands. Behind the glasses her eyes blinked. Surprise? No matter. She kept her prize clutched close to her. She didn't know what it was. Didn't care.

" _Oh. That was fast. Anyway, why don't you peel it open and take a bite?_ " she went on. She reached to her side again to make a new rectangle. She held it up to show Grey Hatch instead of holding it out again. Her fingers did something to it. The white surface peeled apart to reveal a brownish material. Half of it was exposed when she opened her mouth and stuck the brown inside. She then shut her jaws and retracted the remainder. Her cheeks bulged a little at the same time her jaw rhythmically worked. It was like talking but not opening her mouth.

" _Try it_ " she said. Her voice sounded weird. Like something was clogging her mouth. Odd. Hardly worse than the rest of what they've done though.

Grey Hatch examined her prize. It was white and rectangular. But it was also soft. Soft like flesh. Was it flesh? No. Too soft to be flesh. She examined it more until she accidentally tore a part of the white skin. A tiny hole. Barely visible was a spot of brown. Grey Hatch was still afraid. But curiosity was starting to win her over. She tore it open more to show the rest of the brown rectangle underneath. She looked back at the woman questionably. She nodded encouragingly. Grey Hatch looked back at the exposed stuff. She debated with herself.

Her caution warred with her curiosity. Curiosity won. She opened her mouth and gently put the brown inside like the woman did. Sensations she never felt before coursed through her mouth. Grey Hatch found herself stunned. Things she had no words for assaulted her senses. She had no analogue to compare the experience to. It was new. It was different. It was-

" _Good isn't it?_ " The woman asked. It was.

The other young slowly exited their hiding places. They weren't as curious as Grey Hatch. Several minutes without murder didn't go unnoticed however. The man warily watched the young. His weapon twitched but kept lowered. They cautiously approached the pair. Their chattering teeth kept quiet. Like they were with leader. Maybe...a new leader?

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Dead Master awoke.

There was no gap between the world of sleep and the world of consciousness. She was out cold, then she wasn't. Less than a second after she did a sensation not unlike landing in a pile of broken glass slammed into her, forcing what little air in her lungs out. She gasped, feeling pain course through her. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to ignore the sensations. It was difficult, made all the worse when a wave of nausea swept over her. She didn't know what brought it on, all she cared about was making it stop.

Minutes ticked by as she did her best to get her aching body back under control. Once she was to the point of breathing solely through her nose again (albeit with more effort than usual) she flexed her muscles to ascertain the damage. She started with her hands, getting the first of a parade of rude surprises. Instead of the comforting flex of metal she was accustomed to, she felt only her own soft flesh. Slowly she lifted her head.

The room she found herself in was plain, yet it had a strange homely quality to it. Much of it was a glossy white, from the floor to the blinding lights above. A lot of soft brown and dark green was coating the room, and a band of reflective metal surrounded a small window on one wall that streamed sunlight. Nearby that was a plain looking cabinet with a large red symbol on the front. On the far wall was an oddly shaped metal door, with rounded edges. Lastly, she was lying on a thinly padded bed. None of this was important to Dead Master, only what was clearly dangerous and what wasn't. Thus far, none of it appeared to be.

Deciding she didn't want to be there anymore, Dead Master lifted her arms. It was then the second great surprise made itself known. Her limbs only rose a few inches when a metallic tug caught, stopping them in place. Her green eyes widening, she peered down to them. Two pairs of circular metal handcuffs was wrapped around both of her hands, leading off to an object just out of her sight. She yanked, accomplishing nothing more than rattling the metal.

She kicked her legs, feeling the same clutch on her ankles. Snarling in anger she thrashed her limbs, rattling the chains. To her frustration that was all she accomplished; their hold never slackened, and the bed didn't budge an inch. Icy fear wormed its way into her guts, which she was unable to fully suppress. A quiet voice in the back of her mind wondered if this was what her victims felt when she captured them. Stifling the thought with a growl, she stilled herself for her final gambit. Her bare hands clenched, twin motes of light coming to life within each fist.

Before her skulls could come into existence, the door clicked and swung open.

Dead Master froze. She realized in that moment she didn't know where she was or who it was that had captured her. In her alarm the questions were pushed aside. Now she wanted to know who it was that was coming through the door, and more importantly, what they wanted. If they were anything like her, she was in for a painful experience for the foreseeable future. She gritted her teeth and waited, determined to give them nothing, certainly no satisfaction.

The door opened fully, revealing a blonde human man that stepped through the entrance. He wore airy clothes, unadorned as far as she could see. Nothing about him was of any great interest. What she did keep her attention on was the submachine gun hanging from a strap against his chest. It looked similar to the gun that Huey used for the bank robbery but sleeker, somehow more menacing. Once she was finished examining it she looked at his face, noting a sour expression. After a moment of thought she realized she saw him before, but she couldn't place him.

"I must be cursed or something" he muttered. Dead Master chose to intimidate him, hoping he would back off. He merely huffed.

"Not even ten seconds and you're giving me a death glare. Oh well, lets get this show on the road" he muttered. He went to his pocket to retrieve a small grey object, which she assumed was a cellphone. After a few seconds of playing with it she was proven right, when a familiar voice sounded out.

"Lutz, I'm in the middle of something. Is this important?" a female voice asked tiredly from the tiny box. Dead Master knew who it belonged to: the pale woman from the cafe.

"Hey Koko, you know that feeling, you can only say what it is in french?" he asked. Silence came from the other end.

"I'll be there in a minute" she said hurriedly.

"No hurry" he languidly replied, clicking the phone off to hide it. He turned his attention back to the handcuffed girl, who was still glaring at him.

"You know what deja vu means?" he asked her.

"Release me at once" Dead Master snapped.

"In a second. You know what this is?" he asked, holding up the weapon.

"Its a gun" she answered testily.

"Good, means I don't have to explain. This thing can spit out a bullet every eight milliseconds. I watched that fight, you're not nearly fast enough to dodge them all. You do what I or the lady says, or I blow you away" he threatened. Only, as she coldly realized, it wasn't a threat. Her glare didn't fade, but her movements ceased.

Twenty seconds later another human stepped through the door. Unlike the man, Dead Master recognized the pale woman at once. Clad in a basic white suit, Koko looked over the girl's current predicament with a critical eye. She saw everything but said nothing. Finally she sighed, the will in her fading in light of what she was about to do. Or at least what Dead Master thought she was about to do.

"You're right. It's almost a match from the first time" she said at last.

"Where are my claws?" Dead Master questioned first.

"Except for that part. Your metal gauntlets are being held in a secure location. Until we're certain we can trust you, that's where they'll stay. Now, are you going to behave? Or am I going to hook the IV back up and leave you on your own for a day or two?" Koko stated flatly. She glared sullenly at her, slowly nodding anyway.

"Good girl" she said, making the horned girl sneer.

Koko went to her side, drawing a small key from one of her pockets. She begun with her ankles, unhooking the latches easily. Dead Master quickly withdrew her legs from the spot. Next she went for her wrists, getting one off to let her retract that as well. Lastly, and far too slowly in her opinion, she sedately strolled to the other side of the bed to finish. No sooner did the metal weight fall away did she brought her wrists up to gently rub them. Koko backed up a few feet, a plain smile on her features.

"Excellent. Now follow me" she directed.

Dead Master's sullen look never changed, but she did swing her feet over the side and hopped to her feet. She regretted it instantly; another powerful wave of nausea overcame her, and she had to throw a hand back onto the bed to steady herself.

"Take it easy. You've been unconscious for almost four days now" Koko chided. It took several seconds for it to subside, which Dead Master spent by internally cursing the foul woman. Then the words dawned on her and snapped her horned head up, making Lutz jerk the weapon her way.

"Four days!?" she exclaimed, utterly shocked.

"Yep. You did get shot three times after all. The doctor said you almost died of blood loss and shock" she replied casually. Dead Master continued to stare at her numbly, even though the worst of the nausea was gone.

"C'mon, move" Lutz gently urged. He kept the fact that some sedatives were responsible for the length of time to himself; no need to make her hate them more than she already did.

Her legs steady, Dead Master stood up from the bed fully. A queasy feeling in her stomach remained, one that wasn't entirely the fault of her emotions. Now that she was on her feet, she detected a slight sway in the ground itself. She wanted to dismiss it as just her being still a little shaken, but it was definitely noticeable upon observation. For the life of her she couldn't explain it. She suspected Koko had a hand in it however, whatever it could be.

The woman in question went to the door, pausing to gesture her to follow. A glance at Lutz showed him still holding the gun at her, jerking the barrel her direction. Frowning, she obeyed. Koko kept a several foot lead, a little too far for her to reach (not that she could do much, clawless and with a gun pointed at her), with Lutz a few feet behind her. Her pace was slow, even with her uneasy state Dead Master could easily outpace her. Seeing an abundance of time on her bare hands, she took a few seconds to examine the outside hallway.

It looked just like a normal building, with many spaced out lights and tiled floors. Though oddly enough, the entire space seemed rather cramped. A check at the opposing walls of the hallway showed her it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her, extending her arms out to touch the walls confirmed it. A guess put the distance at four and a half feet or so, much less than a building she was accustomed to. That combined with the slight swaying made her question what the woman was up to.

Only a short distance later, one she could cover in a few seconds, the single file line came to another thick metal door. Koko stopped to turn around, a self satisfied smirk on her face.

"I'm sure you're wondering where you are right now" she posed loftily, putting a hand on the door handle.

"Naturally" Dead Master said dryly. Her smirk grew an inch.

"Allow me to show you" she said, swinging the thick barrier open and rushing through.

The light blinded Dead Master enough for her to put up an arm over her eyes, but a prod from Lutz made her take a few hesitant steps forward. Many seconds passed before her eyes adjusted to the glare, though a piercing pain in the back of her eyeballs came into being. There didn't seem to be a way to stop it, so with a sigh she lowered her protective arm to see her newest surroundings. Her thought process derailed at the sight.

Blue. Endless blue as far as she could see. There was a bit of white and yellow just below her, but it only served to highlight the vast sight before her. No buildings, no roads, nothing but the light blue of the sky and the deep blue of the vast surface that stretched to the far horizon. The sole thing that broke the azure land was a whitish sheen in the center, one that hurt her eyes if she stared at it.

As she looked closer, the deep azure wasn't entirely flat. She couldn't tell from her current position, but it seemed like the surface was rippling. Tiny peaks of white that lasted for a heartbeat before vanishing, only to have a fresh one take its place. Twinkles of light in every direction, possibly reflected from the powerful sun. It all stretched into infinity. She hesitantly swung her head in both directions, seeing that the weird building she was standing on was the only thing that broke the monotony.

"What do you think?" Koko asked playfully. With a start Dead Master realized her mouth was agape, quickly clamping it shut.

"What-what is this place?" she asked, unable to keep the awe from her voice.

"This? This is the middle of the ocean. All that you see here is water" she explained. Dead Master looked over the blue expanse again, trying and failing to wrap her head around it.

"All that was just water?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yep. Salt water. Later I'll take you down lower to feel the spray from the ships wake. But right now, the closest land is a square mile of sand about fifty miles that way" she pointed in a random direction, out to the horizon.

Dead Master put her hands over the rails to peer downwards. Below another deck was the edge from the 'ship' and the ocean, a murky tone of blue that made her uneasy.

"How deep?" she asked quietly.

"Here? Two miles, give or take" Koko answered. Dead Master couldn't imagine such a quantity of water, never mind the depth.

Koko turned to walk away, which Dead Master needed another prod to notice. She walked down the railing, her face keeping forward. She followed without difficulty, but she found it hard to tear her attention away from the ocean. It was so big, unlike anything she had ever seen before. She recalled the world map she cursorily examined when she was still with the Freemans. So much of that map had blue on it, at the time she didn't think anything of it.

Distracted as she was, she almost bumped into the halted Koko. Raising a brow, she looked around her to see why she stopped.

"Hey Wiley. All set up?" she asked. The large black man, the same one from the cafe as well, stood up from a chair and table set up with a friendly smile.

"Yep, just give the word" he told her before turning to Dead Master, who cautiously stepped around her (hearing no protest from Lutz).

"And how are you doing miss? Last I heard you were out like a light" he greeted. Despite his size she didn't find him very threatening.

"I am well" she answered perfunctorily.

"Great. Alright, Koko wants me to show you something, and I'm going to need your help for it. Think you can manage?" Wiley asked her. She glanced at the table, seeing a mess of parts and components but little overt danger, aside from a small duffel bag. A dark green bar caught her attention for some reason.

"I can" she answered tightly, offended at his assumption if her feebleness.

"Good. I'd like for you to summon a floating skull first" he directed.

Dead Master huffed. A new mote if light formed in her bare hand, needing a moment to form what she wanted. She threw her hand aside, like tossing a piece of garbage away. The expanding ball of multicolored light swelled to a massive size in a few seconds, transforming into a black metal shape that closely resembled a cranium. It floated in the air under its own power, a sickly green light glowing from the eyes and jaws. To her satisfaction the three humans were momentarily taken aback at the sight.

"Woah" Lutz said to himself. Koko quietly whistled.

"Oh. Alright then" Wiley shook off his amazement "back to business. Can it open it's jaw?" he went on. Instead of answering the unearthly creation opened its large mouth, showing more of the gangrenous opening. Wiley turned back to the table to fiddle with a tiny widget and the green bar for a few seconds before stuffing them both into the duffel and zipping it up.

"Two more things. How far can you control the skull? Its range" he clarified. She wrinkled her brow.

"I'm not sure. I've never intentionally tried to stretch the distance. I can control it a far ways off though" she answered.

"At least three hundred meters?" Koko interjected. She frowned at her.

"I don't know" she said irritably, but Wiley waved his own hands in supplication.

"Don't worry about it. Now, last thing" he said, putting the duffel's strap in the skull's mouth. With a thought she closed it over it, just like the money bags in the robbery. He stepped back to check over the setup one more time. She thought she saw something evil flash over his features, but it might have been the sun.

"All good?" Koko asked.

"We're set. Miss Master, if you would please send the skull that way" he pointed to the horizon "as far as you can send it" he directed.

Dead Master looked at the horizon once more, a feeling of awe in her still. She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. A wave of her hand and the skull flew out with a slight whoosh. She kept her eyes on it, silently telling it where to go. Straight out to the horizon in this case. It zoomed away, becoming nothing more than a shrinking speck. Beside her Koko hummed contemplatively to herself.

"What would you say, two hundred fifty hundred meters?" she said to no one in particular.

"Give or take yeah" Lutz agreed.

"Five seconds Wiley" she ordered. Dead Master gave her a funny look, turning to the man with the same. An gleam in his eye made her deeply uncomfortable, and a tiny device was in his hand. He smirked, clicking it twice.

The floating skull exploded.

Three seconds after the blast a warm wave of air buffeted the four, only the girl reacting by cringing against it. Dead Master was again utterly shocked. Her wide eyes were riveted onto the cooling black cloud that lazily drifted to the ocean surface, what was her skull a few seconds ago. The thought of them using that anywhere, such as that singular meeting, made her break out in goosebumps. In comparison that vile boy who shot her was an afterthought.

"Are you good and terrified yet?" Koko playfully asked, at ease with the horror that was just inflicted. Dead Master shakily nodded.

"Good. Now, I can't keep a watch on you twenty four seven. I don't have the time or patience for it. So here's what I'm going to do instead" she started, making the horned girl slowly turn her head to her. The pale woman lifted her hand up to slide her sleeve back, showing a black band around her wrist.

"See this? This little device is hooked up to my vital signs. The moment it stops detecting them, it'll send out a tiny signal to a cargo container in the hold. What you saw there was four pounds of C4 high explosive. There's several tons of that in the hold. Kill me, and all those explosives will go off. This ship will be at the bottom of the ocean in twenty minutes. And so will you" Koko explained smugly.

"You wouldn't" Dead Master's response was supposed to be a snarl, but it came out more as a whimper. She smirked.

"I can and I will. So behave, or you'll see what two miles underwater feels like" she finished, rolling the sleeve back up. The horned girl gulped nervously.

"Great. Now c'mon, its time to properly meet the team" she said, sounding chipper.

Spinning on her heels, Koko began to trot away. The strange girl was after her at once, wanting to do everything in her power to please her. Lutz saw the difference in her demeanor and relaxed. He didn't sling his weapon away, but neither did he keep it trained on her. He glanced at Wiley to see him in a similar state, methodically packing up his tools in a spare bag with the air of a craftsman at work. He checked to see if the girl was firmly out of sight before he leaned over the man.

"You think she knows we're bluffing?" he whispered. Wiley shook his head.

"She doesn't know better. Hook line and sinker for the time being" he whispered back.

"She's going to be pissed if she finds out the truth" Lutz whispered again.

"Exactly, so keep it to yourself" he warned.

Koko stopped before a nondescript door, one that didn't look any different from the dozen or so others she passed along the way. Dead Master wondered what made this one special while she opened it, finding out a moment later. It was an average looking (if cramped) meeting room. Nine people were in there, but only one caught her attention.

"Hold" Koko said, putting a hand on Dead Master's shoulder. Her snarl was cut off at once.

On the other side of the room Black Rock Shooter, still wearing a few bandages, began to rise from her chair with her own scowl.

"Remember what I said?" Koko reminded. Dead Master hesitated but she forced herself to back off. Black Rock Shooter's rise was halted by a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her back down. Fifteen feet apart the two girls stared daggers at each other.

"Looks like round two is about to start" commented one of the people. It took a great deal of effort for Dead Master to tear her attention off of the girl to look at who spoke. It was a leathery looking man with greying hair sitting in one of the chairs, smiling at the girl.

"Lets not, this ship isn't due for a refit for another five years, I'd rather not do it this soon. Now, time to introduce you. You already know Black Rock Shooter so I won't bother with that. The boy beside her" she pointed "is Jonathan Mar, we call him Jonah" she explained. Following her finger, the horned girl saw the owner of the guiding hand. Her anger dissipated, replaced by visible fear. Koko noticed a tremble and frowned.

"Whats the matter?" she asked.

"He's-" Dead Master choked out.

"I'm the one that shot her" the boy, his voice oddly flat, answered. The group around him rippled with chuckles.

"Is that all? Don't worry about it, you're not the first one he's done that too" she said light heartedly, giving the girl a friendly pat on her shoulders that failed to ease her in any way.

"But moving on, that gentleman is Lehm" she pointed to the greying man, who lazily waved at her "That's Mao" to the chinese man "R" the taller man, also from the cafe "Valmet" the eyepatched woman from the cafe too "Ugo" a thick darkly complexioned man "Tojo" a bespectacled japanese man that waved as well "and lastly, our guest, Huey" she finished on the last boy. The uncomfortable looking boy ceased his fidgeting to come to his feet, an explanation on his lips. Her eyes narrowed. When she stalked off to his direction Koko let her, anticipating what was going to happen.

"Listen, I can explain what's going on-" he said quickly, only to be cut off by her punching him in the gut. His eyes bulged, a heartbeat before he collapsed with a pained groan. She stood over him and glared.

"You got me into this mess. You insisted you had to get information, convinced us you could handle her. Now look" she snapped. Her foot drew back for a kick on the prone boy, but a quiet whistle from Koko put a stop to that.

"That's enough of that" she said lowly. Breathing carefully, Dead Master nodded and backed away, sending a brief glare at Black Rock Shooter first. The pale girl was stopped from getting up again by Jonah's hand on her shoulder once more (at least until she gave him a hard look, which made him retract the hand). Koko clapped her hands for attention.

"We're all introduced, excellent. Onto business. As you've probably guessed we're heading to the Solomon Islands. HCLI's last launch is tomorrow, and we're going to spectate. After that, though, things are going to get serious" her smile faded, grabbing the savvy members attentions.

"Schokolade passed on some information to me. There's a new one of them" she jabbed a thumb at the horned girl beside her "in southern Thailand. We're going to investigate" Koko stated. R waved a hand for attention, which she gestured for him to speak.

"What do we know about this one?" he asked flatly.

"Not much I'm afraid. We'll know more when we get there, but for now assume high danger" Koko answered. From the floor Huey, still groaning in pain, slowly sat up with his own hand raised.

"Yes?" she acknowledged. He needed a few more seconds to get his breath back before he could speak.

"Why are you going after them" he wheezed.

"Because I have a unique understanding of just how dangerous they are. I'd rather have them in my care than being in someone else's, or on their own. Anyone else?" she asked them. The last hand came from Lehm.

"Isn't that region your brother's stomping ground?" he asked. She sighed.

"Yeah. I'm counting on him to try to butt in, with luck we'll be out of there before he figures it out why we're there. Alright everyone, get some rest. There's a rocket launch tomorrow, wouldn't want to miss it" she dismissed. The eight team members rose from their seats to leave, the nonhuman among them keeping as great as a distance from the horned girl as possible. Koko stayed where she was, making sure no incidents occurred. When the last one was out she remembered that her guest was still on the floor in pain.

Sparing a look at the girl, she found her watching apathetically. Koko mumbled a somali curse under her breath and went to help him.

* * *

 **A/N: a new character playlist will be showing up shortly. Stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: apologies for the delay, a thing called life got in the way.**

* * *

 _Ten_.

On a ship in the middle of the pacific ocean, a party of sixteen waited eagerly. A few miles away, a rare event was about to unfold.

 _Nine_.

Leading the group was a pale young woman named Koko Hekmatyr, who was in an excellent mood. Seeing as there was still time, she reflected on the reasons for her pleased state, starting with the aftermath of a bluff.

 _Eight_.

After her little threat Dead Master had proven herself to be all too willing to please her in any way she could; from fetching her snacks from the stores to doing status checks on the hold's inventory, she did it all clumsily but with maximum effort. She didn't have her check on all of her personnel however. The men were happy to accommodate her (especially Tojo, who was full of questions) but she kept her distance from both Jonah and Black Rock Shooter as much as she could. The girl never failed to send a hostile glance at her every time they were in the same vicinity. To the boy she always reacted with fear, made all the worse whenever he brought his attention onto her. It was a fear that was entirely one sided.

 _Seven_.

The afro'd boy on the hand was a different issue. He was next to harmless (he knew the basics around guns and had a surprising degree of martial arts skills, but little else) so she wasn't worried about him posing a threat, but he was brimming with curiosity. In the week since she arranged for a helicopter ride directly to the Atlas Huey had extensively questioned several of her men. Who they were, what their jobs entailed, what was it like overseas, et cetera. She wasn't sure why, perhaps he wanted to know how they ended up where they were. At first they took it in stride, but after so long they grew tired of his constant stream of questions. Half of them got the treatment, giving the remainder a sense of dread.

 _Six_.

All save Black Rock Shooter. His first target turned out to be a bust; since she communicated via cellphone it limited both how fast she could answer and the variety of the answers. Koko had discreetly overheard their meeting on the ship's deck: Huey's patience was greater than she expected it to be, but after fifteen minutes of bland responses he grew more and more exasperated, until he finally gave up and stomped away. She asked the girl afterwards if she was intentionally being unhelpful, only to get a negative.

 _Five_.

For now she pushed all her concerns aside. On a repurposed oil platform sat HCLI's greatest achievement, which she watched with her friends and guests from the deck of her ship a few miles away. Despite seeing the upcoming event a dozen times (more than a hundred if she counted the video recordings) it never failed to awe her. Koko could feel the excitement emanating from the other observers, from the ever relaxed Lehm to the barely contained Jonah. The only frowns she saw came from the outsiders; Huey and Dead Master were both suspicious, while her friend's newest employee remained under tight control.

 _Four_.

 _Hours earlier..._

"What are you doing here!?" Valmet snarled, starting to power towards the chinese woman. Ugo and Wiley both grabbed her arms, struggling to contain her. In response the other woman scowled, only staying still by Dr. Miami and Mokoena restraining her as well.

"I'm doctor Amada's personal assistant, what are you doing here!?" Karen Low shouted back.

"Ladies" Koko deftly inserted herself between them, gesturing for both of them to back off. Reluctantly they did, easing up on their respective companions. The glares stayed where they were.

"Good, lets not kill each other today. Miami? Care to explain?" she asked pointedly to the kooky woman. Twenty feet away Lehm chuckled at the narrowly avoided fight.

 _Three_.

"Is it time yet?" Dr. Miami asked from beside her. Koko wasn't sure why she bothered, the display in front of them showed the time left to the millisecond. Nevertheless she answered.

"Just about" she replied.

 _Two_.

Koko glanced at the group one more time. Predictably they were spilt into three distinct bodies: Karen and Mokoena stayed a few feet away from the rest, Huey and Dead Master did the same from the other side, and in the center the rest of them stood, with Jonah and Black Rock Shooter at the rails due to their shorter height. All of them, no matter their excitement level, had a powerful feeling of expectation for the imminent event. She was feeling it herself.

 _One_.

The base of the cylindrical tower ignited. Dense fuel met liquid oxygen in a carefully orchestrated reaction, briefly creating a powerful inferno that few natural processes on earth could match. An onlooker like Koko couldn't see the rows of equipment or people that even now, especially now, labored to do what ancient man only dreamed of. Clouds of white colored smoke poured from the site, obscuring most of the platform from view.

 _Ignition_.

A second later the noise hit the ship. Even from the purportedly safe distance it was deafening, making any conversation below a scream impossible. Not that anyone was speaking. The sight in front of them was such that talking would be considered a waste of time, a mark of foolishness for attempting to take attention off of the spectacle. It wasn't quite a once in a lifetime event, but it was close.

 _Launch_.

The rocket began to rise. Defying gravity, which ruled that a construct of that size and composition should stay in touch with the surface. A few feet turned into dozens, then into hundreds, then into thousands. The rocket boldly flew, fire belonging to the ancient gods at its rear, the home of said gods ahead of its nose. Up and up, a symbol of humanity's technology and prowess announcing its presence to the heavens. To the observers, it was awe inspiring. So much so that the men began to hoof and holler, while the guests stared in amazement. All but one.

"Final launch. And Floyd still couldn't bother to drag himself out here" Dr. Miami said reproachfully. The noise level had died down to manageable levels, but not enough for the two women to be overheard from as far away as they were.

"You know how he is. As long as it turns a profit and increases HCLI's influence he doesn't give a damn" she replied sadly.

"Oh well. This is the hundred and twenty sixth right? Five times the size of the american GPS, for 'supplementation.' You're going to be on a lot of new lists for this one" the japanese scientist commented.

"No real change there. Once the final steps are in place, none of it will matter" the arms dealer said, making the woman perk up.

"Just out of curiosity, how close are we? Ballpark figures" Dr. Miami asked carefully. Koko's smile shifted.

"Optimistically? A year. No more than three" she answered, to which the other woman quietly whistled.

" _Wow_. I can't believe it. I still remember that night ten years ago, the first time you were drunk off your ass-"

"Second time" Koko playfully corrected.

"-Second time you were drunk off your ass, crying and moping about how all your money came from killing people and how much you wanted it all to change. Now look. Just three years away at most. Damn" Dr. Miami shook her head, reaching for a cigarette.

"I know. I'm not that little girl anymore, feeling powerless before the world. Once all the pieces are in place, it'll all be over. But enough about that. What was that cool thing you wanted to show me?" she asked.

"Some rare fossils Moko and I found during a hike. Karen wasn't happy that we lied to her. Honestly, she's so straight edge it hurts" Dr. Miami said melodramatically, waving a hand to get her point across while staring at the artificial cloud the rocket left. Koko nodded and grinned, but something about the way she spoke set off familiar alarms in her mind.

"Thats all? Your messages made it sound like you found a new animal" she cheerfully probed. She caught herself; this was her friend. An air headed genius yes, but still her friend. It was thanks to her that a half baked scheme created in a drunken stupor was now within tangible reach. She shouldn't be suspicious of her.

"By the way, I got an interesting phone call yesterday. Wanted to tell you in person" Dr. Miami said lowly.

"Oh?" Koko went, forcibly pushing her worries aside.

"Your brother called me. Malin rang me up about fifteen minutes afterwards" she explained, instantly grabbing Koko's full attention.

"What'd he want?" she asked, which the other woman shrugged.

"Beats me. Maybe he realized all the big players came to me and he doesn't want to be left out?" she joked.

Below the two women Jonah watched the rocket launch with childlike wonder. He had never seen anything quite like it before. His eyes tracked the rising rocket, streaming up to the place he once thought of as God's domain. An idle thought in his mind tied it to a handheld missile launcher, one that he quashed immediately. He insisted to himself that those two things had only superficial things in common. One was a weapon built solely to kill, the other was made to go into space. The thought wouldn't stay buried however, especially when he remembered who it was that send the thing up in the first place.

He looked over to see what Koko was doing, but Black Rock Shooter was in the way. She was, in hindsight unsurprising, just as awestruck as he was. Her customary flat expression was gone, replaced by wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. Like him, she too watched the rocket fly away to places she could scarcely imagine. Jonah needed a second to realize he was staring at her. He shook it off and leaned behind her to see Koko. Unfortunately she leaned back at the same time to gently rap a hand on the closest person's arm, in this case a curious R.

"Something the matter?" he asked. Her phone was already out, text coming into existence as fast as her fingers could move.

Wheres it going? Black Rock Shooter asked.

"Space. If you go up high enough there's no air, no blue sky, and no gravity. Its where these things operate" he explained, pointing upwards. She followed his finger and frowned.

I dont understand, she typed.

"Well...think of it this way. One of the best rules for any battlefield is 'whoever holds the high ground wins.' When you're that high up, you can see the entire world. Remember the airline flights? Same idea" R elaborated. Her confused frown didn't change. Out of the corner of his eye R noticed the others picking up, for a certain someone.

"Tell you what, remind me later on and I'll walk you through it all, that okay?" he asked. She dejectedly nodded. He grinned and took the chance to pat her on the shoulder, mindful of her bristling at the contact.

"Can I be there too?" Jonah asked suddenly. The two looked to him with some surprise, both forgetting he was there.

"Sure" R quickly agreed, turning his body and attention around for the approaching Koko. She casually walked towards the group with Miami at her side, smiling broadly.

"Never gets old doesn't it?" she announced. Warm nods met her, making her smile dip.

"Unfortunately we have business to take care off. From here its a two day sailing trip to a meeting point I've arranged with Schokolade. After that, a delicate situation" she explained to them. Rather than the frowns she was expecting, hard looks abounded on them. She thought it was because they knew what awaited them.

"Good news, we're not supposed to be there for three days. And there's a nice port town nearby. We'll be off at noon tomorrow. Until then, its bar hopping time" Koko proclaimed. At that an excited cheer came out from the adults.

A turn of her head made it easy to offer Dr. Miami "you're welcome to join us."

"Sure!" the woman agreed excitedly. A powerful hand plopping on her shoulder made her jump, making her fearfully look over.

"I think not. Malin was clear that you and alcohol don't blend well" Karen said coldly. Ugo pumped a fist into the air in triumph, muttering "finally!"

"B-but-" Dr. Miami whined, tears stinging at her vision. The chinese woman never wavered.

"No means no. You can go play for a while" she lit up "but we're going back to Cape Town tomorrow" she declared. Karen let go of the moping woman, glancing back at Mokoena for guidance. His was smiling, tearfully mouthing "thank you" to her.

Koko watched the event with mild interest as her men filed away, two of them deliberately going in the opposite direction of the crew quarters in a long detour. Finally she sighed, turning to walk to her newest and least favorite pair of headaches.

"So, what'd you think?" she asked blandly, forcing her excitement for the event away. The afro'd boy was still staring numbly at the rocket, now little more than a speck in the sky. In contrast the horned girl looked away easily.

"What was that?" Dead Master questioned.

"That was a rocket my company owns. In about" Koko paused to look at her watch "eight minutes it'll break free from Earth's atmosphere and get set up in orbit" she explained. Unexpectedly the girl nodded in understanding.

"In a geosynchronous orbit?" she asked. Koko recovered and smiled.

"That's right. Let me guess, link storming" she probed. The girl scowled, but didn't disagree.

"I read about humans sending things into space. I wasn't sure if it was actually possible" Dead Master admitted.

"It is. That's not the first rocket my company sent up even. There are human bootprints on the moon if you can believe it" Koko told her. Her green eyes narrowed.

"I find it hard to do so" she said dryly.

"No surprise there. But in sixty years or so there'll be commercial flights to the moon, so you could see for yourself. It'll probably be a tourist trap though" she shook her head in disappointment.

Dead Master rolled her eyes. A discreet swish of her hand from Koko made her quickly back away, allowing the pale woman to get close to the boy.

"Again, what do you think?" she asked once more. She was on the verge of repeating herself only one more time before she lost her patience when he finally shook his head, giving her a glimpse of his eyes.

Koko was many things. An arms dealer of course. She was also a beloved boss to her men, a ruthless killer to (and of) her enemies. In a good mood, which being inebriated helped, she would laughingly refer to herself as a 'scary bitch'. What she wasn't was a fool. One didn't last long in her profession without a careful blend of charisma, aggressiveness, and just plain luck. She knew she had all of these things, and maintaining them was a key factor in her success in such a trade. It was a tightrope she tread every day of her life.

"You launched a rocket" Huey stated numbly, once he got his voice back. Koko nodded sagely.

"I did. As I just told Dead Master here, its not even the first one I've launched" she casually told him. His gaze snapped to her, shock slowly giving way to guarded curiosity.

"How many others?" he cautiously asked.

But there was a fourth factor, an under appreciated ability that could be learned, but was more often only born with: reading others. If she had to be honest with herself, it (second to luck) was the biggest reason she was where she was today. It allowed her to tell when a deal was going to go south when there was still time to get out. It gave her opportunities that never would have been possible otherwise, Black Rock Shooter being the most visible example. Right now, it was revealing truths about the boy in front of her he probably didn't know himself.

Koko had to give the boy credit: he was smart, and he possessed a wild cunning. His meeting with her, while sloppily executed, was well organized. The goals he went in with were surprisingly simple once she discovered them. In addition, he alone seemed to grasp how dangerous she was, unlike the others he had with him. If his allies hadn't botched the operation or if he had it better planned, it was possible he could've walked away with everything he wanted. They would've gone their separate ways, probably satisfied. The keyword being 'could.'

"A lot. There's a number of intelligence agencies and rivals who would love to have that information. Not that I don't trust you, the problem is they can be quite...persuasive" she loftily explained. His eyes narrowed.

"I understand. In your world morals would be a wonderful idea" he polity barbed. She merely smiled at the unsubtle insult.

His problem, aside from his obvious inexperience in the field, was his own deep seated beliefs. Koko couldn't help but liken him to the Imperial Japanese; smart and courageous, especially to the end since they were almost incapable of understanding that the world didn't conform to their vision of it. As much as she could admire his dedication, she saw that they prevented him from grasping that the world wasn't black and white, metaphorically speaking. For instance, he saw her as an evil baby killer who gave guns to dangerous people and cackled over the profits. Not exactly inaccurate, but the truth was far more complex than he thought. He saw everything through a very thorough filter that only showed him what he wanted to see, dismissing or rationalizing away everything that didn't fit.

Koko made it her mission to destroy that filter, whether he wanted to or not.

"Regretfully, in many cases that is true. However, the people who do these things are very careful about who they apply this to, and the circumstances for it. For you, I wasn't necessarily implying they would outright torture you just for some tidbits of information" she explained. His furrowing brow showed she was on the right track.

"For you, a legal citizen of the United States, they wouldn't go so far as, say, waterboarding. Persistent interrogation, deals and threats, maybe sleep deprivation at worst. Think less Nazi SS, more KGB" Koko continued.

"And once they have this info? Then what?" Huey asked pointedly.

"Death threat or two, maybe a confidentiality agreement. Then they'll drop you off either at the nearest embassy or back at your home, depends on the group" she answered. He blinked, his gaze hardening as she watched.

"No" he stated sourly.

"Why?" Dead Master asked in confusion. The adult and the child had forgotten she was still standing there, watching the conversation with mounting bewilderment.

"Yeah, why no?" Koko agreed. He raggedly sighed.

"It wouldn't be that easy. They wouldn't let me live. Or drop me back off at my home. It doesn't make sense!" he snapped angrily. Was that a hint of petulance in his tone?

"How so?" she pressed.

"Why would they be so...so...so civilized?!" Huey snarled.

Koko giggled, getting a baffled look from one and a furious glare from the other.

"Forty years ago thing were different, but barbarity is frowned upon in this day and age. You see, the world is much more complex than you think it is. After all, a gentleman gets better results than a brute" she explained.

She walked passed him, pausing to reassuringly pat him on the shoulder.

"The men are going into port for the evening. If you want to go sightseeing, just ask Valmet. Oh, and if you want to buy a souvenir or two, ask away. Just keep the price range within reason" Koko told him. She didn't take off yet, the reason needed to ask first.

"Can I go?" Dead Master carefully asked.

"When I feel that I don't have to threaten you with fiery death to trust you, then you can" she said before finally walking away, leaving her two guests confused and upset.

* * *

 _Singapore, the next day..._

"Aw yeah!" Nyguén exclaimed as he flopped back onto the couch. The hotel wasn't as posh as he was used to, though leagues above what he would've gotten in most other cities.

"I know man, two more days and bam!" his friend (and benefactor) Kowit punched his palm in excitement from the tiny kitchen counter, reaching for a bottle of booze the second after.

The two young men were on their way to the latter's villa the former's uncle owned, where they would be enjoying their vacation away from anything resembling responsibility for the next two weeks. Read: getting plastered with as many different kinds of alcohol as they could get their paws on. Finding eager young ladies for 'company' wasn't off the cards either. With luck, they could even bag a hot foreign chick in the mood for something exotic.

"Oh yeah. Soon as Agus gets here" Nyguén said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"Yep. Speaking of which, where the fuck is that dipshit? We was supposed to be here by now" Kowit said irritably, glancing at the clock. His friend shrugged.

"Probably hanging out with that new bitch, whats her name? Tris or something?" Nyguén asked. Kowit shrugged.

"No idea. How much you wanna bet he's gonna go on about 'she's the one' or some bullshit?" he ribbed. The two man-children smirked.

"No chance. A euro bitch though. Lucky bastard" he said enviously.

"I think she was canadian" Kowit said to himself, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Who gives a shit? As long as he brings the booze I don't give a fuck" he said, reaching for the remote.

Just as his fingers wrapped around it, a knock came from their room's door.

"There he is" Kowit said triumphantly.

"Fuck yeah" Nyguén pumped a fist in the air. When neither moved, they exchanged looks.

"Get the door" Kowit said.

"You get it" Nyguén said back.

"You're closer" Kowit shot.

"I flew here you dick" Nyguén protested.

"Its my villa" Kowit trumped. Realizing he'd been had, the man growled. With a titanic effort he heaved himself off of the comfortable couch, muttering curses under his breath the entire short walk to the door. Another impatient knocking came from the other side as he got to it. Were Nyguén brighter or less buzzed, he might've noticed something off about the knocking.

"Alright! Cool your tits assho-" Kowit was a second away from the sweet booze when he heard a strange cracking sound. With a scowl on he turned to the door to see his friend hunched over the door, unmoving.

"Bro, is getting the door that fucking hard?" he said irritably. When his friend didn't respond an ugly feeling wormed its way into his alcohol laden gut.

"Bro?" he repeated hesitantly. A creaking noise sounded out, ending with a hard pop. Nyguén fell backwards. Even from twenty feet away, Kowit could see clearly. Only half his face was recognizable. The other half was a jagged, bloody hole.

The bottle fell from his limp fingers, a crisp "fuck" on his lips.

A new, much more forceful pounding from the door finally put some sense in him. However, his three day drinking streak dulled his responses, turning a frantic scrabble into a disorganized shuffle. Cursing loudly, he tripped over his feet and fell to the floor. Nevertheless he ignored the pain and crawled away as fast as his arms could drag him. One more impact turned into a tremendous crash, and he knew without looking that the door was just taken off its hinges.

Kowit Nualkhair had always possessed an urge to discover. In a different lifetime he could've become a researcher or an explorer. As it was, that urge led him to parties, whores, and occasionally drugs. Though his mind was panic stricken, he felt the desire to look back at the door, at the attacker that killed his friend. He wasn't the brightest, but he knew that he should be doing everything in his power to get away, no matter how slim the odds were. The compulsion was too strong though. Despite knowing better, he looked back.

"T-t-th-the fuck?" he whispered. A young woman with horns on her head in what he would crudely describe as a streetwalker's getup was standing in the door, a massive ornate sword in her hands. She was rather pretty, in a better state of mind he would proposition her for a fun night. His words stopped her scanning of the suite to look at him, a smile on her lips. Kowit looked into her calculating red eyes and knew he was doomed.

Every coherent thought in his mind vanished. Only one primal urge remained: flee. He turned on his stomach and crawled, fighting through his dulled nerves to get back onto his feet. Once he got that far, he would run, and run, and run until he was as far away from that thing as he could go. If he was alert and sober, he might've had a chance. His frantic scrambling away got only a short distance before a strong hold wrapped around his ankle, sharp claws easily puncturing his trousers and skin. He screamed, like a girl he would describe to his friends. Inhuman strength effortlessly flipped him over, allowing him to see the bizarre young woman in fine detail.

The stylized metal plates that covered her knees soundlessly bent, lowering her to a crouch above him. The point of her large sword rested on the floor next to him, her other hand held upright to keep ahold of the grip.

"Hi there" the demon greeted in a meticulous tone. Her free hand came to rest on her thigh, allowing Kowit to see that it wasn't a hand at all; it was a set of red toned metal claws, twice the size of a normal hand.

"I want you to know this isn't personal. You just happen to be related to the wrong person is all. I suppose it doesn't matter" she mused to herself, shaking her head. Her long hair tumbled yet remained untangled.

"Oh well" she said to herself, rising back to her feet. Kowit opened his mouth to scream again. Her boot stomped on his throat, crushing his windpipe and breaking his neck.

Black Gold Saw removed her foot and wiped it on the carpet, frowning at the blood. She surveyed the apartment to look for something she could use to clean it better, passing over the other corpse without giving it a second thought. Two sweeps later and she saw the tiny kitchen sink. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. She debated with herself on the best way to approach it, deciding after a few seconds that the suite was effectively ruined. She hopped on top of the counter, nudging the faucet on before sticking the bloody foot under the stream.

She rinsed her foot until no red remained except what was already on, then another nudge turned it off. One careful hop to avoid slipping (since her foot was wet) once more and her boots hit the tiled kitchenette floor.

" _~This is Major Tom to Ground Control~_ " Black Gold Saw quietly sang before catching herself. That song was good in her opinion, but the tune had been haunting her for the past day, and she was getting tired of it. Besides, she still had a job to do.

The tiny microwave clock told her she was still on schedule, but time was running out. Scanning the room one last time, she wracked her brain to make sure she didn't miss anything important. She knew there was supposed to be three targets, the primary and his two lackeys. However, upon finishing her search she concluded the third was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was already gone, or he had never shown up in the first place. Either way, the clock was ticking. And as far as she could tell, her job was done.

For some reason, neither of the dolts had opened the window in the day or so they were there. Black Gold Saw patiently shook her head as she cracked it open and tore the thin screen apart. True, the air outside was hot and humid while inside it was cool and relatively dry. For someone most decidedly not human like herself though, it was a minor inconvenience. The real problem was ahead, in the form of a four story drop into a dirty alleyway. She peered over the edge to the bottom, unenthusiastically contemplating the fall. She sighed to herself.

"Could be worse" she mumbled. He 'pulled some strings' to arrange for the target staying in not only a low enough room, but one facing away from the active street.

Black Gold Saw took a deep breath. Pushing aside her reservations, she nimbly pushed herself through before she could think of the consequences. Her hair billowed out in the wind, the unfamiliar feeling of free fall briefly filling her senses. She relished the sensations while they lasted; a grand total of three and a half seconds. Then the result of jumping from a high place hit her; figuratively via the wonderful feeling going away, literally as her legs crumpled to absorb the impact.

She gasped, the pain overwhelming her. All her preparation did little to stop the agony from coursing through her nerves. Her iron will was the greatest reason she didn't black out, forcing her lungs to work and staring down the excruciating pain that threatened to overwhelm her. An eternity went by before it finally began to recede, finally allowing other things like her hearing to be recognized. Her mouth finally clamped shut, gulping down a breath.

The first thing she realized was that she was lying on the ground. The dirty alleyway pavement ground turned out to be a lot cleaner than she expected it to be. Recalling the laws of the city, she wasn't too surprised. Getting back on her feet was a chore, her legs hesitancy to obey her wasn't helping. Black Gold Saw scowled and summoned her sword, planting the point into the ground to steady it. Her clawed hands protected her from the sharp edge as she pushed herself up, groaning the entire way.

Her legs were starting to feel better, though they wouldn't be back to normal for a while yet. In the meantime, what mattered was that she could walk. An unseemly stumble of a walk, but it would do. Black Gold Saw dismissed her sword as the alley entrance approached; she stood out enough without dragging along a massive weapon too. She spared one last look back at the hotel she plummeted from, locating the open window easily. It was foolish to think she hadn't been spotted by someone, someone who would tell the authorities or an interested party about what they saw.

Coming out into the light of day, she scanned the street for the ubiquitous signs that labeled everything. She smiled when she found them, comparing the writing on them to what she was briefed on and finding them a perfect match. A number of people were out on the sidewalks despite the oppressive heat; business waited for no one after all. More than a few gave her questioning looks, but none of them came close enough to speak to her. A few of them had cameras or phones out, snapping a picture or two of her. She ignored them, preferring to look for her ride.

Occupied as she was, she didn't notice the creature beside her immediately.

Something damp and warm touched her leg. Frowning, she abandoned her searching to look downwards, finding a thing outside of her experience. A small furry creature was beside her, staring at her with brown eyes. She paused to take in its appearance: it stood on four legs, with raised ears that ended in soft points. Short hair covered every part of it that she could see, save only for the end of its glistening nose. The color of its fur was bizarrely a shade of blue, streaked with white and black. It seemed curious, but unafraid of her.

Black Gold Saw crouched down, wincing in pain. Her legs reminded her they weren't back to optimal condition yet, protesting her movement. Nevertheless she stayed down, coming almost eye level with the creature. She wondered at the best way to deal with the beast; killing it would be easy, even in her current state. The problem was that in public place like she was she would have eyes everywhere on her, drawing unwanted attention. Ignoring it was likely the best course of action, but her own curiosity was gnawing at her.

In the end she decided to hold one of her claws out for the beast to examine. Its head tilted as it began to sniff her hand, going over each of her fingers in its odd quest. Finally it gave one a lick and rubbed the side of its head against her claw. Encouraged, Black Gold Saw tried rubbing part of its neck herself, carefully using her knuckles to avoid the sharp points. It seemed to to enjoy it, opening its mouth to let its large tongue flop out.

Despite herself she smiled. Soon her other hand joined in, rubbing the happy creature. It seemed to enjoy having its ears in particular scratched, which she obliged. Over the course of her petting she discovered a band around its neck. Raising a brow, she felt around to discover a tiny metal emblem dangling from a circle. Rotating the band brought the emblem into her sight. It had the word 'Cooper' etched into a thin brass tag. She had no idea what it meant.

Her answer came in the form of a woman frantically yelling "Cooper!" which made the beast look over. Black Gold Saw's attention slipped from it to the speaker, in this case a terrified young woman running down the sidewalk. Her face brightened immediately when she spied the creature, changing directions to the two. The beast abandoned her without a second thought to run towards the woman, letting out an excited "woof!"

"OhmygodIthoughtIlostyou!" the woman tearfully went down to her knees to embrace the creature, who excitedly returned the favor by jumping up and licking her face. She laughed, tears running down her cheeks as she playfully deflected the lapping tongue. It got off her and spun in a circle, its mouth hanging wide open in a way that reminded Black Gold Saw of a smile. The young woman gave one more enthusiastic pat to the thing's head before looking up.

"Thank you for...for..." happiness slid into bafflement as she beheld the unearthly appearance of the one before her. Black Gold Saw pushed herself back up, noting with pleasure that the pain was vastly reduced.

"No problem" she said meticulously.

"Um" she glanced at the beast, who gave a satisfied "woof" in response.

"I'm curious, what is that?" Black Gold Saw asked, pointing a claw at it.

"Um...thats Cooper. He's my dog" she answered hesitantly.

An unmarked beige van pulled up to the curb, coming to a stop right by the horned woman. She glanced its way when the side door slid open.

"That's my ride. Later" she bid her farewell before nonchalantly walking away, climbing into the van without a backwards glance. The door slammed shut a second later, the vehicle peeling away the second after that.

Inside, Black Gold Saw noticed the tense atmosphere and chose to ignore it.

"Did you get the targets?" Allan pressed from beside her.

"Two of them" she blandly answered, grabbing her tablet and her touch stick. The machine was fairly large, her own hands making something the size as a smartphone difficult to operate.

"Only two?" Poe questioned from the driver's seat. Both men were understandably nervous around her, despite both their boss's and her assurances to the contrary.

"Only two there. The third one wasn't there. Yes, I checked" she interrupted the former's statement. Her tablet, an iPad (she read that Android was better, but her device served her needs) connected to the city wide WiFi easily. She opened the Safari app and typed in 'dog types' and switched to images.

"Alright. As long as Nualkhair is eliminated it doesn't matter" Allan said, giving her a hard look. She answered with a flat look.

"You really think I would leave him alive? You only emphasized his death a dozen times over" she dryly responded. The man grumbled, but he didn't speak back.

Ten pages down and Black Gold Saw found what she was looking for.

"Blue Heeler" she murmured at the picture, one that looked similar to the dog she met.

* * *

 **A/N: to anyone who's curious, Yes. Huey Freeman is staying on with Koko. HOWEVER, his role is going to be at most peripheral. Think of RWBY's Jaune, only even less important. Okay? Okay.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: forewarning, this one is a filler chapter, mostly going to be dialogue. If you don't like it, well, the unknown otherworlder is getting introduced next week. Enjoy. Or not, your choice.**

* * *

On the rear end of the Atlas's deck Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master stared each other down from ten feet away, the closest the crew had gotten them to each other without them attempting to come to blows. Above the two the bright sunlight and the light mist of the ocean spray made for a gentle atmosphere, but the hostility from both was too great to allow for something as petty as finding an appropriate location for their long simmering conflict.

Black Rock Shooter wanted to choke the life out of her opponent and toss her body overboard, but knowing how much effort her boss put into taking the horned girl alive made her reluctantly decide to spare her. However, the moment her usefulness ended she would be on her, enjoying the slow death she deserved. Then, and only then, would she be satisfied. Until then, she would watch and wait. She had to slip up eventually, and she would be there to seize the moment and end her life.

Dead Master refrained from violence, though it was difficult. Her hated enemy was not just right in front of her, but seemingly integrated into a group of human mercenaries. Powerful allies that she felt lorded their superiority over her, especially with their polite questions and friendly demeanors. That was ignoring the ever damned pale woman, who had her treading a fine line called obedience below a pit of painful death. Not a moment went by that she didn't daydream of killing them all.

The intensity of the battle was reaching its climax, though it wasn't easily visible to an outside observer. Neither had a weapon drawn, further muddying the situation to those not in the know. Peculiar blue eyes met unusual green eyes, both possessing a strange gear pattern within their respective irises. Outside of the odd shapes an increasing amount of red was seeping into the whites, with blood vessels becoming more prominent by the second. Sizzling pain was growing ever stronger to both girls, creating numerous (and somewhat amusing) facial expressions on them.

It was Dead Master that finally yielded. She gasped and clamped her eyelids shut, rubbing the inflamed tissue tenderly. Black Rock Shooter felt elation at her victory, just as the pain in her own eyes reached an unbearable limit, which she too closed and rubbed. For roughly four seconds the hatred of both vanished, and peace was finally bestowed on them. Then one of the eleven observers whistled, grabbing both of their attentions.

"Thirty seven seconds" Tojo said, looking at his stopwatch. A few feet away from him Lutz looked at his.

"Thirty nine" he reported.

"Congrats Rock, you won a staring contest" Lehm cheered, and a gleeful chuckle rippled through most of the group. Upon noticing the hard scowl on the horned girl Tojo approached her, but with no intention to touch her (he knew better than to try something that stupid).

"Cheer up, it's just a staring contest. You the first fight by default anyway" he praised. The words didn't stop Dead Master from scowling, nor did it stop her gentle massaging of her eyes. 'Not the first' she mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry?" the japanese man asked uncertainly. She sighed and opened her eyes, finding them in acceptable condition.

"I may have beat her but I didn't win" she said instead.

"That's right I guess" he shrugged.

Resounding clapping, done extra loud for attention's sake, made the assembled eclectic group look from whatever they were doing and take notice.

"There, see? Violence doesn't have to solve every problem" Koko stated to the girls. Black Rock Shooter had her phone out and a response typed out in no time, which she had to briefly bend over to read.

 _Only most of them_ , she replied. Koko's smile tingled with amusement.

"True enough. Now" she stood up straight and faced the group.

"If I can direct your attention to there" she pointed to a pile of dark boxes stacked against the bulkhead "it's time for some adjustment. Jonah, if you would" she ordered. The boy left his spot on the railing to approach the boxes, finding them to be gun cases. A flip of a latch and the top swung open, showing him the contents. He paused to look them over before grabbing one for the beckoning Koko. The assembled group picked up at his prize.

"Behold" she said, accepting the weapon from him. She turned to hold up the tan colored rifle to the group.

"Ta-da, this bad boy is the Magpul Masada, chambered for NATO standard five five six by forty five millimeter rounds. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your new weapon" she announced. Koko expected uncertainty at the decision, and this time she wasn't disappointed.

"You're replacing our rifles?" R asked first.

"Yep. The idea is to all use the same magazines, so if we get into a pinch we can share ammo. On a related note, Jonah, the smaller case" she directed. Obediently the boy went to the smaller box and retrieved a new weapon, which he wordlessly shuttled to Koko.

"The new sidearm, the SIG Pro SP twenty twenty two" she named, waving both weapons around to show them. Lehm frowned while he lit a cigarette, ignoring the reproachful looks he was getting.

"This is a big change boss. I'm not opposed to the idea, but you think this is the best time to do it?" he asked her carefully.

"I know. But I've been meaning to do this for a while, and to be honest I was going to wait until we got back to Essex to do this. Seeing as we're in the middle of the ocean, its a good a place as any to get acclimated. However" her smile dipped down "given our newest situation, I'm not retiring your old equipment just yet" she said carefully. The moment passed, and she held out the guns.

"Who wants to try them first?" she said excitedly. Several if them exchanged glances with Lehm and Valmet silently volunteering by walking towards her.

"There's a dozen rifles, pistols, spare magazines, and around ten thousand rounds of ammo. If you guys don't burn through at least half that by the end of the day, I'm going to be disappointed" Koko said, handing the weapons over to them. Valmet tested the weight and ergonomics of the SIG, realizing something after a few seconds.

"Isn't this the same kind of gun you gave Rock?" she inquired, which Koko nodded to.

"Sure is. My original plan was to get her used to it, so when I presented it to you guys I'd have someone to support me" she explained, looking sideways at the girl in question. She chuckled darkly.

"What the hell was I thinking?" she asked. Black Rock Shooter shrugged.

 _Idk_ , her phone said. A discreet cough from nearby reminded them of their guest.

"I gave her three. First one tumbled out of my plane in the Republic of T, second was left in a motel somewhere in western Egypt, and the last one got cut in half by your friend there" she explained to Huey, who nodded uncertainly.

"So" Koko held her hand out and Valmet deposited the weapon back "it's up to you. Do you want a gun?" she asked, holding the pistol out. Black Rock Shooter stared at the offer, thinking deeply about her choice.

After a minute she made up her mind; she shook her head.

"Alright. A pity though" she absently handed the gun back and sighing "still, its probably for the best. You're one of the last people on earth that needs a gun" she said playfully. An unexpected snort from the horned girl caught their attentions.

"I was told the same thing" Dead Master said sourly.

"Great minds think alike" Lehm commented, examining the weapon. He lowered it and looked at Koko, but his words were addressed to the group.

"I got some reservations, but it seems like a solid gun. Lets give it a shot" he said, chuckling. The men groaned at the pun.

Koko stood back a few feet as the men made an orderly mob to the crates, passing out the Magpul Masadas and ammunition for all. One by one, they too made a show of checking out the freshly made weapons, comparing it to their standard armaments. And one by one, each one came around to liking the new rifle. Her case was won when Mao went to the rear of the deck to fire off a short burst into the empty ocean as a test. He looked back at the group and said "I like it."

Soon enough a chorus of gunfire was sounding out, making earmuffs a necessity. Black Rock Shooter took hers without complaint, while both Huey and Dead Master had to be persuaded (which was rather easy in truth). She then observed the proceedings, seeing who was doing well with the rifle and who was not. To her delight none of them were having problems. Koko noticed that Jonah in particular was adapting well to the new rifle. She was worried that he was too used to his standard FNC to switch over easily, but he seemed to be doing just that.

"Hey Koko?" asked Lutz, snapping her out of her reverie "this is just our normal assault rifles and sidearms right?" he asked. She pushed her thoughts aside to answer.

"Yeah. You and Lehm can keep using your respective sniper rifles, and I'm going to keep the M249 as our SAW. When we use SMGs they'll probably be MP5Ks though, haven't entirely made up my mind on that score" she responded. He nodded and went back to shooting his rifle.

As the gunfire wore on, she again mulled over her earlier plan. It was risky, but sooner or later there needed to be an element of trust.

"Jonah! Can you come here a minute?" Koko called once there was a lull. The boy immediately flipped his safety on and trotted the short distance to her.

"Your gun please?" she asked when he reached her. He handed the gun over to her without delay, and she turned to the girl.

"Black Rock Shooter, I don't expect you to master this, but I do want you to at least know how to use it. Just in case" she politely ordered. She frowned, but she did take the weapon. Koko felt a degree of relief that she held it correctly, as well as keeping the barrel pointed skyward. She kept her eyes on her for a few seconds, looking away when she saw Lutz and Wiley start to coach her on shooting.

"Now Jonah, there's a small suitcase in my cabin, should be by my bed. Would you please go get it?" she commanded.

"On it" he said, taking off in a jog. That taken care off, she turned to her final major task for the day. Beckoning with a finger, she silently urged Dead Master to come closer. The horned girl looked apprehensive, but she dared not disobey.

"Yes?" she inquired carefully. Huey saw this and came a few feet closer to overhear.

"So far, I've been keeping you in line by your fear. Its not a bad thing, I did almost have you killed after all. You have no reason to trust me, so making you afraid of me was a must. Today, I'm going to change that" Koko explained. Her green eyes narrowed, but confusion glittered in them. The girl was a tough one for sure, and far easier to read than she thought she was.

"Change it? How?" she asked guardedly. Koko wasn't worried about taking her eyes off of her, only of completely ignoring her presence. When she looked towards the direction Jonah went instead of answering, the girl got suspicious, while she felt mild expectation. A few seconds later she spotted the boy coming back. She waited until he was right up to them to take a step back, noting her giving him a cautious stare.

"Your answer is in that case" she said enigmatically. Jonah started to hand the case over to her, but she swiped her hand.

"All you have to do...is take it" she stated. Dead Master's eyes widened, looking between the two with shock.

" _What_?!" she exclaimed. Koko's smile didn't waver.

"You heard me. I don't want you to be afraid of me. Wary respect works, but if you're scared of me or my men then I will have to keep an eye on you forever. Right now, this means exchanging some trust" she vaguely outlined. The horned girl gulped.

She glanced around for escape, but there was none. They were in the middle of the ocean after all, leaving nowhere to run. There was nothing she could do to stop this encounter, only to comply. Deep inside her a nugget of hope bobbed; she had no reason to trust her, yet for all the time she was there she never left her promises unfulfilled. She was nervous, yet guardedly curious.

This feeling allowed her to inch closer to the boy as he held the small case out, each movement closer making her want to run in the opposite direction. Like a cobra she snatched it out of his limp hold, letting her fall back at last. She fumbled with the latch, her distrustful look staying on his blank one. Half a minute of nervous fiddling finally yielded results, opening the case to the sunlight. At last, she looked inside. She blinked in utter astonishment.

"What?" went her response. Koko grinned, holding out her hand for the case back. Dead Master numbly handed it over, pulling out the contents to hold up to the light.

"Like I said, trust" she said. The horned girl held her black metal claws by the wrist clamps, unable to believe her eyes.

"Before you ask, those are the real thing. I think you can tell by yourself" she said. Slowly, Dead Master began to reattach her treasured claws back onto her hands, every move deliberate. What was happening was too good to be true in her view. With a hiss the first one clamped on, and she experimentally flexed the gauntlet. It responded to her commands perfectly.

"Why?"

Koko smiled.

"Trust. I'm a generous woman, and I believe in giving people a chance. That's what this is. I'm giving you your claws back. In a while, I'll take you ashore. If you squander this though, you'll learn why its unwise to anger me" the woman chuckled in a way that sent shivers crawling down her spine.

"Alright, you're done for the day. If you want there's a game system set up in the common room. Xbox or Playstation, I don't remember which. Go on" Koko dismissed. Dead Master gave her one more uncertain look (tinted by optimism) before she trotted off.

"Did you mean that?" Jonah asked when she was out of earshot.

"Yep. You should check it out later, Lutz and Mao are really proud of it" she joked.

"I meant about giving people chances" he clarified.

"Of course. Black Rock Shooter, you, Ugo, R, I gave you all a chance. Time will tell if she puts it to good use" she said darkly. The moment passed; she turned back to the group and whistled, gesturing for the once bizarre girl to come. Again she held the weapon like she was taught to, but this time she passed it to Jonah instead.

"So, what'd you think?" Koko asked, mindful of the afro'd boy watching her every move. Jonah inspected the weapon, discovering that she'd forgotten the safety, but the magazine was empty (a test of the slide confirmed it was fully unloaded). He wondered if she forgot it on purpose.

Her brow wrinkled while she typed out a response.

 _What is a broad side of a barn?_ Black Rock Shooter asked. Koko successfully concealed her snicker, but the snort was too fast for her to block.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Ugo knew what was coming. Several of the others already got the treatment, questioned about every little thing that constituted their lives. Homes, family, how they got the job, what was it like, and so on. Tojo gave him a pep talk on how to get through it, stressing the entire time to take it easy on the boy. He was a civilian, to him they were like something out of mythology. It was only natural that he'd be curious. But his accursed persistence meant that nothing less than angry shouting or pointing a gun would make him go away, and Koko deeply disapproved of that.

While he waited he'd taken to studying his new Magpul Masada. The shooting exercise yesterday gave him an excellent perspective on how the gun functioned, letting him know that switching to the tool wouldn't be as much of a challenge as he feared. Going from the SIG to his rarely used (yet highly valued) Desert Eagle on the other hand, that was going to be tricky. There was a world of difference between a .45 bullet and a puny 9mm, which he would have to get used to. Koko's logical arguments and the team's enthusiastic approval did nothing to sooth his pain.

"Hi there" said the boy from behind him. Ugo had 'borrowed' a table and chair from the common room to work in peace on the deck. Evidently near the bow wasn't far enough to spare him.

He took a deep breath, set his manual down, tucked it under the stock so it wouldn't blow away, and turned his body around.

"Hey" he greeted blandly. Koko insisted there was to be no violence, but she said nothing about being polite.

"Ugo, right?" Huey asked, though he clearly knew the answer.

"That's me" he responded, putting as little effort into answering as possible. He heard about the incident with Black Rock Shooter and decided to emulate her example.

"Alright. If its okay, can we talk?" he went on, picking up on the large man's enthusiasm, or lack thereof.

Ugo smiled, ready to answer all his questions.

"Ugo isn't my real name, its just a shorthanded nickname. I was born in Rome. I'm thirty two years old. I got involved with the Italian Mafia when I was eighteen. Five years ago they tried to buy weapons from Koko. They paid with cocaine instead of cash, so she killed them all. Except me, I disagreed with the decision and looked disgusted by it. Seeing as my employers were suffering a bad case of death poisoning, she offered me a job as a wheelman. Best choice I ever made. She's a great boss, this jobs never short on excitement, and no you may not know how much I get paid. That about covers it?" he finished, pausing for breath. Huey stared in shock.

"Oh, and the reason I disagreed with my mafia boss was that I had a brother. Eight years ago he died after overdosing on heroin. And I will never repeat myself. If that's everything, I have stuff to do" Ugo turned back around to mess with his rifle again. He listened intently behind him, waiting for the boy to make his move. His footsteps were soft, and growing softer. A minute later he chanced a look behind him, confirming the boy was out of sight. He sighed.

"Okay, that was a little harsh" he admitted to himself.

Fifty feet away Huey sighed.

"That could've been handled better" he muttered. He began to rethink his strategy for getting information, picking out flaws. Firstly, merely going up to question them was a poor idea. His idea of starting a casual conversation was just shot down with little to show for it.

As much as Huey hated to admit it, he was wrong about so many things with these people. Practically all of his assumptions about them were incorrect to one degree or another, ranging from the minor (how long had they been working for her) to the major (mercenaries loyal to her as long as she kept signing paychecks). Not only that, they were so professional. Little they did was out of malice, and none of it was due to incompetence. They talked, they laughed, and they fought with an equal degree of skill. His only assumption that was proven right was that they were more dangerous than he thought they were, which was already high.

What perplexed him more than anything was their apparent loyalty to Koko. None of them had a negative thing to say about her in any way. Huey noticed this after the second 'interview', confirmed for certain after the fifth. He wasn't stupid enough to criticize her in front of them even at first, but now he suspected that if he insulted her, he could end up in the infirmary for the near (and potentially far) future. For the life of him, he couldn't understand how or why any of them were willing to lay their lives down for her. That one simple fact irked him.

He wasn't so caught up in his musings that he failed to notice an odd clinking sound. He paused to listen, hearing it again a few seconds later. No screams or snarls made him tentatively rule out the possibility of a fight. His curiosity now piqued, he searched around for its source. Somehow, it was coming from above him. An additional railing on the deck above him gave the boy an idea where it was coming from. A minute of searching yielded a ladder.

Climbing carefully, he poked his head over the top to find Black Rock Shooter standing a few feet away. Her back was to him, letting him see the large white star emblem on the otherwise black long coat. In both of her hands was a sword; the left one was a silver tinted curved blade that had a resemblance to his katana that was in his closet back at his home (a flash of homesickness was quickly crushed). The one in her right was its twin, identical save for its steel being black and glossy. The very same the other alien hesitantly showed him, a month ago.

She must have heard something, for the next second she turned her head around to notice his presence at last. Huey stood still, a tiny part of his mind still warning of danger. She turned around fully, the swords dissolving into lights in a few seconds. He was entranced by the sight, which distracted him from her pulling a cellphone from one of her coat pockets. Her rather skimpy outfit underneath the coat went ignored.

 _What is it?_ Black Rock Shooter asked by proxy. Huey shook his head and took a deep breath, climbing up entirely.

"Just wandering by and saw you. What're you doing?" he asked her, his tone cautious. His experience with Dead Master taught him to never let his guard down around their kind. She frowned and withdrew the phone.

 _Practicing with both swords. Im having trouble_ , she typed. He raised a brow.

"Trouble?" he asked. She nodded.

 _Keeping track of two swords at once is hard. Watch._

After pocketing the phone she clenched her fists, creating a reverse of the sight he just witnessed. As before, the silver was in her left while the black was in her right. She backed off a few feet and took a stance. With evident care she began to swipe the swords around in an imitation of attacking. Only a few seconds in and he saw a problem; one blade slid against the other, making the clinking noise from a minute earlier. She frowned, dismissing the weapons with a thought.

"Oh...um...I see" he half stammered, genuinely surprised. From what he had seen, he expected her to be just as proficient with both weapons as one.

 _I would like to use both but i dont see how i can and still fight well_ , she typed.

"Then, um, practice I guess?" Huey suggested. Black Rock Shooter rolled her eyes, bringing her free hand up to tap her forehead.

 _Did she just mime duh?_ he asked himself. Another assumption was crossed out: despite her muteness, she acted almost human.

Black Rock Shooter picked up, listening for something. She turned her head around, momentarily confusing the afro'd boy. His unspoken question came in the form of a squeak of the ladder as someone climbed it, revealing themselves as the other boy aboard, Jonah Mar. He climbed up to the deck, showing no sign of effort. He gave the other boy a look but said nothing before turning to the girl. He had a small carry bag on his pack, which he slung off to set on the floor.

She looked on expectantly as he unzipped it to rummage around inside. A second later he found what he wanted and tossed it to her: a bottle of cola.

"You want a coke?" Jonah asked him.

"Yeah, sure" Huey agreed, privately unnerved by his lack of emotion. Again he tossed a bottle, which he caught easily. A quiet crack was followed by a hiss as Black Rock Shooter indulged in the drink.

"How is it working for you?" Jonah asked. Huey opened his mouth to respond, but fortunately he realized at the last second that the question wasn't directed at him, evidenced by her drawing the phone from her pocket.

 _Terrible_ , she typed, frowning.

"Can I see?" he asked. She nodded, pocketing her phone and capping the cola. She repeated the display she gave Huey, stopping when the swords clinked against each other.

"Not good" he commented. She nodded angrily.

"What's wrong with just one though?" he asked.

 _Id be a waste to have one but never use it_ , she insisted. Jonah wrinkled his brow in thought.

"Could alternate instead. One job use the black, next use the silver" he suggested. She tilted her head to the side, thinking it over. Finally she shrugged.

 _That may work_ , she typed.

"Better than tossing it away" he added.

Jonah glanced back at Huey, noting that he'd been watching the entire exchange with uneasy fascination.

"Do you have any ideas?" he asked blandly.

"Um, no" he said, somewhat quickly. Jonah nodded and went back into the bag, drawing two thin objects a moment laster.

"I was told you know some martial arts" he said, tossing one to him. Huey caught it and looked at it, discovering it was a rubber knife.

"Feel like practicing?" he offered. Huey looked at the fake knife, considering his chances. If he was among this group, then that implied he too was a fighter. His skills were an open question however. Clenching his fists, he decided to take his chances.

"You're on" he declared.

He went into a ready stance, while the white haired boy hardly moved. Again the uneasy feeling bit into him, but it was too late to back off. He attempted a feint, which was hardly reacted to. He kept at it, testing his defenses. Each time, Jonah moved the barest minimum to block or deflect his attacks. All the while, his blank stare kept on him, unerringly watching his every move.

Huey tried an actual attack, no longer simply testing him. He lunged, but the other boy dodged and grabbed his arm, giving it a painful twist. He attempted a kick, but he was ready for it. His arm met the leg and knocked it back, unbalancing him. Huey's eyes went wide when, with a grunt, he slammed the boy onto the hard deck. He struggled for just a moment, until he felt the hard rubber blade poke his abdomen.

Jonah stared impassively at him, backing off onto his feet. He realized in that moment that he was hardly breathing more than he was before.

"H-how..." Huey stuttered.

"You telegraphed all your moves" he said blandly.

He let his head drop against the floor, muttering "damn."

"Could be worse. You could've tried Valmet. She can give even Rock a hard time" he said. The pigtailed girl sent him an irritated look and lightly punched his arm, which he only lightly winced at.

"Yeah, I'll take my chances with you. You've probably killed fewer people" Huey muttered. He realized too late he made a mistake.

Whatever hint of good cheer that was in the air evaporated. Jonah lowered himself, coming to a rest on the balls of his feet over him.

"Why do you assume that?" he asked dryly. Huey gulped, thinking of an answer.

"Because you're younger" he said after a moment.

"True. If I told you I killed eighty people in one night, would you believe me?" Jonah asked rhetorically.

Huey opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He was too shocked to do more than gape.

"A friend of mine died that day, for a road. As payback I took the lives of eighty soldiers before putting a bullet in the head of the man responsible. Now ask yourself this: if your meeting with us had gotten anyone killed, or even badly injured, how do you think I'd react?" Jonah asked dryly.

"You were wise to keep your opinions about us to yourself. I'll ignore it this time, but don't make a comment like that again. Are we clear?" Huey nodded frantically.

"Good" he said simply. Jonah rose back to his feet, seemingly towering over the american.

"I've seen true evil in this world. But I refuse to believe there isn't good as well. Despite the hell I've endured, the horrors I've seen, the things I've done, I know there's still hope. This world is still beautiful, no matter what monsters roam it. But I'm not naive. Walk in my shoes for one day, and you'll understand."

Jonah left the pack where it was, going back for the ladder. Before he went down, he transfixed him with one last blank stare.

"You should get rid of that hair. It's easy to grab ahold of in a fight" he said. Jonah slid down the ladder, out of sight.

Huey felt a foot tap his side, Black Rock Shooter wanting his attention.

 _Hes right_ , her phone said. He gulped, marshaling his thoughts.

"And what about you? You've killed people" he spat. He wasn't sure what to expect, though her shrug wasn't surprising.

 _Theyre not people i care about_ , she said simply. He didn't try to reason with her, knowing it was impossible in spite of their dogged insistence otherwise. She did stick out a hand to help him up however. Sighing, he moodily grabbed it. He could feel the texture of her hand underneath the glove. For some reason he thought it was going to be smooth; even with the unknown fabric in the way he could feel the hard calluses that coated her hand.

"You two are really something, you know that?" he mumbled once he was back to his feet. She tilted her head to the side in confusion.

 _What does that mean?_ she typed.

"You two are dating, aren't you?" Huey asked dryly. Her baffled expression alerted him, and her grabbing the phone from her pocket made him desperately regret his question.

 _What is dating?_ she asked.

"Um, forget I said anything" he backpedaled, going for the ladder without delay. In his haste to leave he forgot his unopened soda. Seeing as he apparently no longer wanted it, she claimed it.

Black Rock Shooter shook her head, dismissing the questions from her mind. Irritatingly, his words stuck with her rather than vanishing. She sighed, considering her options. Her first thought of asking Koko what it meant was oddly unappealing; she didn't understand why. The same reaction came when Valmet was brought up. She doubted the men could give her a satisfactory answer, and she wasn't about to ask Huey or Dead Master, let alone Jonah.

As she went to pocket her phone, she suddenly rethought her options. The Atlas had his own wifi network, and her phone was linked up to it long ago. Black Rock Shooter sat down and crossed her legs, closing the note app she customarily used and opening her web browser, searching for answers. The five-G connection (she kept meaning to find out what that meant but she always got sidetracked) seemed slow today; either they were in a dead zone or someone else was using data, maybe Lutz or Mao playing video games. Normally she was more patient than this, and the difference didn't go unnoticed. A swig of the cola didn't help her mood.

To her frustration, most of the information was garbage. Many pages dealt with 'how to get the perfect date' or 'dos and don'ts' or other such nonsense. Five minutes of increasingly aggravating searching and she finally found an actual informative article about what dating actually was, though its reading was dry. She scanned over the page, her eyes straining to read in the bright sunlight. The knowledge on her screen was illuminating, and more than a little disturbing.

When she made the connection, a vicious smirk came onto her features as she plotted to bring even more misery to Dead Master (perhaps enough for her to slip up even). What humans called dating had a remarkable similarity to the actions of her kind, certainly they would have the same reactions. Perhaps her long awaited murder was at hand, all she would have to do is repeat the process onto the boy. She daydreamed about killing her as slowly as possible.

Then she frowned, considering the implications of the ploy. No matter how well the team regarded her, none of them could forget that she wasn't human. If she went open with the move, especially with the intention of spiting the other girl, it could end badly. The page made it clear that love was an essential part of the dating process. She was certain that her cruelty would somehow ruin the process in some way, perhaps enough to derail the entire project.

Idly she started to wonder what Jonah thought of her. Respect certainly, and an element of trust for sure Beyond that, she didn't know. Even with several months amongst them she had a hard time reading him. Other than the motel incident, he hadn't opened up to her at all, any of the team on further consideration. Being introverted helped with getting along, though it made puzzling out his thoughts difficult. All of that begged the question: what did she feel for him?

Black Rock Shooter didn't know.

She remembered that the boy left his pack in the middle if the floor, close enough for her to drag it closer with her sword in order to dig inside herself. Sealed in a small plastic container near the bottom was a fresh apple he'd gotten for her. It was a green type instead her her preferred red, but it would do. She pried the top off and started to methodically devour it, reading more of the page and pondering her thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Again, I've been busy lately.**

* * *

 _Somewhere in the South China Sea, 10 a.m. the next day..._

Koko waited expectantly, along with all of her men. Today was an important day for two interrelated reasons: it was the first time she'd invited an intelligence agent onto her her ship, and very shortly there would be a third being she didn't fully understand under her wing. One or the other would've had her doing her best to hide her nervousness, having both was enough for her to break out in a cold sweat. Being on the broad and exposed deck didn't help her mood, despite knowing the unfeasibility of being attacked.

She checked her watch, the ninth time in the last hour. Schokolade made her schedule and transportation plainly obvious, so there was no real reason for her to fret. Her agitation didn't go unnoticed to the two men flanking her. Ugo (for this meeting he was primarily chosen for his size) gave her a reassuring smile, while Valmet placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Normally an alarming gesture for its signature of danger, it did calm her down enough to take a breath.

Precisely five minutes after ten AM, she checked her watch one last time. Koko looked up once more to scan the horizon. At first she missed it, but upon a recheck she saw a tiny glint in the distance. She kept her attention on it, watching the shiny object slowly grow larger. Soon a distinctive "whup whup" was heard, growing louder at the same pace as the growth of the thing on the horizon. She pushed her worries aside to focus on the present, as the object came into view.

A UH-1 painted in a lackluster brown color swung around, its target obviously the ship. It proceeded to fly in a lazy circle around the front of the ship, its pilot making no mistakes. If he did, the two Stinger FAF (fire-and-forget) missile launchers and the twin M134 miniguns locked onto him would make sure he wouldn't live long enough to regret it. He slowed the chopper down as he lost altitude, approaching the ship one more time. The craft didn't entirely stop, it just slowed down enough for the cabin door to swing open and for a crewman to half guide, half push its two passengers out. If it wasn't only a couple of feet above the deck, the drop would have hurt.

No sooner did the passengers clear the door than the blades picked up, the Huey taking off again. The buffeting wind washed over her, even though she was a fair distance from it. In seconds the only sign of its presence was a rapidly diminishing throb in the air, vanishing with a glint in the sky. Koko watched it go for a moment, off into the landless horizon. She wasn't sure how close the nearest airfield was, so it must have been in a hurry to get back before it ran out of fuel.

She dismissed it and went to work. Neither Valmet or Ugo kept in lockstep with her; there was no point for such a showing after all (internally she found such behavior unsettling anyway). They did keep pace with her, sidearms at the ready. In the end that was what mattered. Lehm and Lutz grabbing their sniper rifles and taking positions overlooking the drop point was just to be certain.

Even before she reached them she heard bickering, from the two voices she knew well. Amusingly, they failed to notice her immediately.

"Do you realize how much that cost!?" Scarecrow shouted. Schokolade, unfazed, scoffed at him.

"How the hell else were we supposed to get out here? Going by boat would take hours" she countered.

"Why the fuck are we here at all you goddamn bimbo?!" he yelled. Koko wanted to watch the exchange, but alas, she had things to do.

She cleared her throat, catching both of their attentions.

"Hekmatyr" Scarecrow growled. A flash of fear went came over him when he recognized Ugo, who merely smirked at him.

"I'm not happy about this either. But, like it or not, you're services are required. So here we are" she stated flatly.

"Why the hell would I help you?" he snarled.

"To be accurate, I don't need your help specifically. I need hers" Koko pointed to the blonde "Just so you know, this is my ship. My home away from home. Try anything and I'll throw you overboard. And" she cut off his retort with a swipe "these are pirate infested waters. Play nice and I'll let you off in almost as good as condition that you arrived in. Don't, and you'll be just another field agent that got in over his head. Clear?" she stated, in a way that promised a swift reprisal. He looked to argue, but even he wasn't so stupid. Gulping, he nodded.

"Excellent. There's beer in the common room, don't do anything dumb. Schokolade" she invited. The man glared at everyone except Ugo as the blonde took of in a dandy trot after the pale woman, grumbling obscenities. He glanced at the muscular woman with an eyepatch, who watched him neutrally.

"Let me guess, you're a commando" he inquired dryly.

"Former RDF Jaeger regiment" she answered likewise. Scarecrow buried his face into his palm, groaning.

Thirty feet away and gaining, the two women exchanged pleasantries for a moment.

"By the way, how goes that project?" the blonde asked slyly.

"Still no luck. I've been meaning to ask, why do you want those pictures anyway?" the white haired woman asked.

"Well...I don't actually. But a contact of mine really likes that sort of thing. Hands out juicy information for any good swimsuit pinups. I actually met the guy by accident-" Schokolade started to tell Koko about her last adventure, but the woman cut her off.

"As much as I want to catch up, there's an important matter that needs dealt with" she interrupted. The blonde's grin faded.

"That new one, right. Right, em, where should I start?" she asked.

"Before you do, how about why you dragged Scarecrow along?" she asked first.

"No choice this time. I don't have the mandate or the funds to hire a private ride all the way out here. And, well, where we're going is a CIA playground. If you bring him along it might persuade whatever agents out here to stay away" she explained. Koko bobbed her head.

"Understandable. Let's just hope he doesn't do anything dumb while he's here. Now onto business: where are we going?" she asked her. Schokolade frowned.

"The greatest pisshole in Southeast Asia, about a day and a half sailing from here" she explained. Koko had a sinking feeling of what it could be.

* * *

 _The next day..._

Another beautiful morning, with hardly a cloud in sight to ruin the picturesque view of the small coastal city. Koko wrinkled her brow at the sight, finding her worst fears realized. The city in the distance didn't look so bad from her vantage point, through a pair of high powered binoculars ten miles away. Rolling hills surrounded the urban sprawl, which laid around an oval shaped harbor. Most of the city was short, with only a few buildings rising more than a half dozen stories. In the entrance to it was a small rocky island with a broken and decayed statue of the Buddha, blindly welcoming any and all newcomers. At a glance, it wasn't so bad.

She knew better.

"This is it?" Valmet asked sourly. Fifteen people were watching the city: her crew, the two guests, and the CIA agents. There wasn't enough binoculars to go around, so they had to share. Lehm and Lutz had less of a problem, since they had their rifle scopes to look out of.

"Out of all places for one of them to show up, it just had to be here" Koko commented sarcastically, lowering the object to glance at Schokolade.

"I know. Just looking at this place makes me want to quote star wars" she agreed.

"Kaspar warned me about this place. Even he is wary of this dump" she added. A snort from beside her caught her attention.

"Roanapur" Scarecrow muttered, just close enough to hear. Koko gave him an odd look, which he huffed at.

"What do you know about it?" she asked.

"Its a goddamn toilet. Criminals, terrorists, anarchists, this is one of the places they tend to go. Along with any intelligence agent who fucks up badly. It's mainly a CIA hotspot, but there's NSA, MI6, French, Chinese, even some ex-KGB that filtered down here after the wall fell" he tersely explained. Koko looked back at the city, thinking deeply.

"That's not all. This place is the end of a long trail from the golden triangle. About a quarter of the drug trade flows through this one city" Schokolade piped up.

"I did an op here back in my army days" Lehm spoke "I'd take the worst pits of Africa or the Middle East over this place any day."

"That bad?" Jonah quietly asked.

"Yep. Honestly, someone should just nuke the place off the face of the earth" Wiley commented as well.

"No arguments here" Tojo agreed. Several nods met him.

"Alright" Koko called out, grabbing everyone's attentions.

"We'll take one of the lifeboats for this, I really don't want to risk taking the ship any closer. Ugo, Lehm, Wiley, Mao, and Valmet. You're coming with me. Jonah, Rock, keep an eye on Dead Master" she commanded. The horned girl snarled in indignation.

"What happened to trust?" she snapped.

"You're still on probation. Call it justified paranoia. Everyone else, grab a weapon. Huey, you too. If its not me, blow it away. Do either of you have a gun?" she turned to ask.

"Of course" Scarecrow said, flapping his coat aside to reveal his S&W .357 revolver.

"Classy. Schokolade?" The blonde blanched.

"I haven't shot a gun in years" she protested.

"That sucks. Better get reacquainted fast. R?" she called out.

"On it" he said, darting to the cargo hold.

"Now, this is why I said not retiring your old equipment yet. Old rifles or the Magpuls, your call" she said. True to form Lehm chuckled, but she could see the strain underneath.

"Trial by fire" he said.

"One more thing, grab body armor this time. I'd rather not, but this city..." Koko groaned. Nods and affirmatives greeted her before they all sped off, bringing up or uncovering very large weapons.

 _I hoped none of them will have to be used, but only a fool substitutes hope for preparation,_ she thought. Out of the corner of her eye Koko saw Black Rock Shooter coming closer, her ever useful phone already out.

 _Why am i staying here?_ she asked. She quietly sighed.

"No offense, but after last time I'm nervous about having you come into contact with another one of them. Odds say she'll be a stranger, and I'm just worrying for nothing. Still, better safe than sorry right?" she asked, noting the girl's glum look. Taking a chance she patted her on the shoulder, relieved that she didn't seem to mind this time.

"Besides, you're my best option for dealing with Dead Master if she decides to try something while I'm gone" she cheerfully lied, knowing full well that the half dozen automatic weapons the remaining crew would be toting were far more effective. If she thought otherwise, she chose not to make an issue of it.

The crew scrambled, every one of her men doing their part to make her orders happen. Several retrieved equipment, while the rest went to the ship's eight lifeboats to get it operational. Removing the tarp, clearing out derelict equipment out, testing the small motor, and so on. Not for the first time she recalled that she once contemplated buying a small interceptor speedboat for occasions such as this, but for many reasons she never went through with the purchase.

A pile of detritus was thrown onto the deck, making her purse her lip. She thought for a second about who to assign cleaning duty to, but a glance gave her the answer; Scarecrow stood by, looking confused by the goings on. He made no move to help, whether to help grab equipment or to help get the boat ready. Even Schokolade was helping, even though all she was doing was cataloguing the pile.

A yank and a rumble made the tiny engine roar to life.

"We're ready Koko!" Ugo yelled, looking triumphant at bringing the disused machine to life. She nodded and walked over, taking a deep breath.

"Last thing: if you don't hear back from me in four hours, it means come in guns blazing to save me" she called out to the assembled group. After all the tension of the last couple of days, they couldn't help but laugh. She thought she saw a grin on Jonah, but it could have been her imagination.

The pulley hadn't been used in months, but nonetheless it started to lower the boat to the water line (albeit creakily). Ugo alone stayed in the craft, while she and the others waited above. The hull slapped against the water and bobbed in the waves, while the large man checked once more to see if everything was in order. Once he was satisfied he looked up and waved them on.

Koko was the first one to scale the latter, the wheelman tastefully looking in the direction of the city to avoid seeing something he would deeply regret. Valmet followed her, with Lehm, Mao, and Wiley coming in one after another. Up top Lutz and Tojo held the lines as they disconnected the ropes, methodically yanking them up and giving a short wave. The engine roared to life, and the lifeboat made waves in the warm sea as it sped away.

"You nervous?" Lutz asked.

"A little" Tojo admitted. A few feet away both Huey and Dead Master watched the event, the former holding a close copy of the gun he wielded for the bank robbery, merely two weeks ago.

"Wait" she said suddenly, worry wracking her features. The three humans took their eyes off of the shrinking boat to her, looking on questionably.

"How far away does she have to be before the signal cuts out?" she demanded worriedly. Tojo was the first to react.

"Ah, I forgot to say earlier. Koko had me install a booster on the switch. Its good for thirty miles now, you'll be alright" he hurriedly explained. Huey was fortunate he was standing behind her, otherwise his dry expression could've given the entire charade away.

"Good. I'd imagine she wouldn't any of you killed either" Dead Master said, looking away once more. The two men discreetly sighed in relief.

"Killed who now?" demanded the boisterous voice. Again the men sighed, in patient loathing this time. With narrowing eyes they glanced around, seeing Scarecrow leading a tiny procession up to them. He was looking upset, possibly by the new handgun Schokolade was sporting, or Black Rock Shooter hefting a large green case, or perhaps it was the rifle Jonah had. Or perhaps it was the frighteningly large RPG-7 R was bringing in at the end.

"Oh, that, erm, Tojo?" Lutz quietly pleaded. The japanese man sighed and went to the pair to explain (quietly of course) the situation. Black Rock Shooter set the case down on the deck, popping the lid open as R set the launcher down next to her. Inside was four skinny rocket propelled grenades, ready and waiting for a target.

Meanwhile Jonah kept marching forward. Dead Master broke out in a cold sweat when it was clear he was coming for her.

"Stay put" Huey whispered. She sent a glare at him, but by the time she glanced back the white haired boy was upon her, leaving nowhere to run. Gulping, she pushed her fear aside to face him, putting on her bravest front.

"Yes?" she curtly inquired (she felt a flash of pride at keeping a stutter out of her voice). Instead of answering he reached to his side, where a pistol holster rested. He released the strap and drew the weapon. A dozen scenarios, each more unpleasant than the last, occurred to her.

Him flipping the grip around to offer it to her was not one of them.

"Here. Safety's on, there's a clip in already. Rack the slide and you're ready to shoot" he blandly offered. She gaped in utter astonishment.

"You need a gun, and I'm told you don't have much experience with them" Huey cleared his throat "Anything else will just fly out of your hands" he explained. Dead Master finally snapped out of her stupor, gingerly taking the gun from him while making sure to have zero contact with his hand. The pistol felt solid in her claws, an uncomfortable but oddly reassuring weight.

"Why are you giving her a gun? And why yours?" Huey butted in.

"First, Koko's orders. You don't want to be the only one without a gun. Second, that's the SIG SP. I got my Browning" from his belt he retrieved a new gun, similar but different.

"Talk to Lutz or Tojo if you want to learn how to use it" he said. Lacking anything resembling interest, he turned and walked away. Black Rock Shooter looked up from R's impromptu lesson on arming explosives, first to send a glare at Dead Master, then to welcome the boy over to them.

Once again, Scarecrow snorted.

"What kind of fucked up world do we live in that we have to put guns in children's hands?" he asked ruefully.

"Um, I don't think those two girls are actually human" Schokolade hesitantly corrected, sparing another glance at the new Glock she was provided with.

"So what? They're still kids" he argued. In that same moment Dead Master experimented with using the handgun and her large black scythe at once (under Huey's and Lutz's watchful gazes) while Black Rock Shooter summoned her cannon to keep at the ready with Jonah's Magpul Masada. He gulped.

"On second thought..." he said nervously.

* * *

From ten miles away Roanapur didn't look so bad. Up close, seeing the thugs and prostitutes that openly prowled the streets alongside the waves of diverse humanity that all shared a closed suspicious look on them, reminded Koko of how badly she didn't want to be there.

"Valmet, Lehm, Wiley. You're coming with me. Mao, Ugo, watch the boat" she commanded a few seconds after the latter moored the tiny craft to one of the numerous piers. Many other sea goers, ranging from fishermen to obvious smugglers, gave them a wary look before moving on.

"You sure Koko?" Ugo asked pointedly.

"Just one person is too inviting to leave alone. Besides, if something happens you're our best chance for getting us out" she answered blandly. Internally she asked herself again why she was doing this; there was certainly other options.

"Alright. Conceal our guns, or..." Wiley started to ask. He trailed off as his rimmed eyes beheld the sight of a shirtless fishermen toting an LMG to his boat, talking animatedly with a similarly armed and dressed man beside him.

"I don't think it matters" Mao quietly added.

"Its okay. Look fierce and try not to piss off the locals was the advice I got when I found out about this place" Koko joked.

"Hilarious. Let's get this over with and get out of here" Valmet urged. She was the first one out, sweeping her lone eye around for danger (amending that to immediate danger when she lost count of how many armed people she spotted). An extended hand helped Koko out, and even with the present circumstances she felt a flutter in her heart at the contact.

"If you don't hear from me in four hours, assume something bad happened" the pale woman said as the ex operators climbed out after her.

"Rodger" Ugo and Mao repeated, both hoping that it wouldn't be the last time they said that.

Koko straightened out her stance and faced the pier entrance, pointing a finger to the city and said "let's roll."

The group walked. The three bodyguards unconsciously made a triangle around the lady, keeping one eye open for danger. Having known the woman for so long each recognized the signs of discomfort, yet she powered on anyway. A few of the locals stared dangerously at her, a few even going to far as to leer, but one look at the dangerous men and women around her (along with their fancy rifles) made all but the most foolhardy back away. It continued until the four finally got off the pier and onto a street curb, where it became exponentially worse. In the center Koko quietly sighed in relief.

"Um, Koko?" Wiley went nervously, looking around the crowded street. It looked like one in four people walking the sidewalks had a weapon out.

"Don't want to risk a car here, so we'll have to walk" Valmet said glumly.

"Yeah, that, but what I mean to say is, well..." he turned to Lehm for help. The leathery man grabbed a cigarette, marveling that no one was telling him to put it away or how disgusting it was. It was certainly a nice change.

A gaggle of laughing children, a dozen in total, ran past the group. One bumped into Lehm, who suddenly snatched a kid's arm.

"Let me go!" the child cried out, struggling to get free.

"My wallet first" Lehm said, plucking his leather belonging out if the kid's surprisingly tight grip before letting him go. The child gave him a sullen look before sprinting off. He checked to see if everything was still in place before putting it back in his pocket.

"Anyway, what I'm guessing he was going to say was 'how are we supposed to find an inhuman killing machine in a place like this? Its a needle in a haystack.' Am I right?" he asked. The bespectacled man nodded. Koko grinned.

"Remember where you got the offer to join Delta Force?" Lehm reminded. He and Valmet both 'ah'd' in understanding while Koko hailed down a taxi, hoping that it was a real one and not a scam.

"I know just where to start" she proclaimed.

* * *

 _Dingy, smokey, dark, a microcosm of the city outside. Every patron in the cavernous bar that Koko could see was armed; mostly pistols, but she spotted a few rifles and shotguns scattered around. The few closest to the door eyed her and her three bodyguards with suspicion, but none of them rose from their worn out chairs. A pretty waitress in a skimpy outfit started to come greet the four, breaking off at the sight of the tan assault rifles they carried. Scanning around, she found her best option for information._

 _The dark toned japanese bartender looked up from cleaning a glass to level a blank look at the woman._

 _"Can I help you?" he asked blandly._

"A church?" Wiley asked aloud from the front seat. A twenty minute drive up an increasingly ruddy road, with the city itself falling away at the same rate, revealed a plain and ill maintained Catholic house of worship. The cabby killed the engine and leaned over the edge of the seat.

"This is the place you said you wanted to go" he said, directing his bored statement at the woman in the center. Koko gave the building a cautious look.

"This is the Church of Violence?" she repeated lamely.

"That is the Church of Violence. The best place for salvation in the whole city" he elaborated.

"Thats a disturbing idea" Valmet said quietly.

 _"I'm looking for someone" Koko said after a greeting. The bartender nodded._

 _"You're not from around here. If you're looking for someone who is, they must be some unsavory folk" he said._

 _"You can say that. I just need help to get in the right direction" she said._

 _"Alright. I'll see what I can do" he started. A crash from behind him was followed by a loud (and imaginative) curse. The bartender sighed and turned his torso around to the back._

 _"What happened!?" he called. Another loud curse echoed out._

 _"This bitch tripped me! I'm shooting her!" an irate woman, even out of sight she sounded dangerous, yelled back. Following that was a double click of a gun being readied._

 _"Put it down. It was just a mistake" he yelled, utterly calm._

 _"Fuck you!" the woman screamed._

 _"We're running a legit business these days. You can't shoot everyone who pisses you off" he yelled. Koko noticed the way he was acting, like it was a well worn routine._

 _"...Fine! Goddamnit, we never do anything exciting anymore!" the unseen woman lamented._

 _"Next customer that acts up can get a beating, deal!?" he offered._

 _"Deal!" she enthusiastically agreed. The bartender nodded in satisfaction before turning back to Koko, shrugging apologetically._

 _"My manager. Believe it or not she's a lot more mellow these days" he said._

 _"That's frightening" Valmet mumbled._

 _"Indeed. Anyway, who are you after?" he asked._

The four exited the taxicab, subtly bringing weapons to bear. The two men and woman bodyguards began to scan the area, looking for threats.

"Hey! You listening?" Koko stopped over the door to speak.

"I am, I am" he waved on dismissively.

"This shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. Stay here" she commanded.

"I will. Your meter will be running though" he reminded.

"As long as you're still here when I leave than I don't care" she said curtly.

Koko rose from the car to look at the run down church, sighing under her breath. Clinically, she knew that what she was about to do was dangerous, with a high chance of not walking away with her life. Both of her meetings with the bizarre girls had erupted into violence, yet she escaped mostly unscathed from both encounters. She dearly hoped the rule of three didn't apply for this one.

"Boss?" Lehm asked in concern.

"Lets get this done" Koko said, striding towards the large double doors, briefly leaving the trio floundering in her wake.

Oddly, but not unsurprisingly, the door was unlocked, allowing her to push it open into the dim light and stuffy interior of the church.

 _The bartender pursed his lips as he examined the photo Koko produced. It was actually one of Black Rock Shooter, but he didn't need to know that._

 _"Never seen this girl before" he declared at last, handing the picture back._

 _"It was worth a try I suppose" she said, feigning disappointment._

 _"However" she perked up "I've never seen that girl before" he repeated suddenly, shaking his head._

 _"But?" Koko prompted._

 _"But...I really shouldn't be telling you this" he said after a moment._

 _"I can handle it" she declared. The bartender looked around, searching for eavesdroppers. A gesture brought them both down over the counter, heads close._

Lehm gently closed the door behind them, while Lehm and Valmet swept their rifles around. For the area they were in, it was abandoned. She wondered if it was intentional, so the girl would have privacy. Koko deliberated on the best way to approach the situation, before finally making up her mind to yell. Just as she raised her hands to cup around her mouth, a door on the far side of the altar swung open. All three bodyguards snapped their weapons up, discovering a surprised man in priest robes standing there.

"Hi there" Koko casually greeted. His shock faded away, first to indignation at the group that brazenly entered, then changing into polite concern when it dawned on him that the balance of firepower was firmly in their favor.

"Greetings. I welcome you to the Lady of the Hill Church. I must ask you to leave your weapons by the door" he greeted as he approached, stopping a short distance away. When none of them moved he quietly sighed.

"If that's the way it has to be" he murmured.

"Who are you?" Valmet asked.

"I'm Father Ricardo. This is my church. Now, who are you?" he asked back.

"Who we are" Koko stepped around her "isn't unduly important. Why we're here, on the other hand, is" she stated. A layman wouldn't have seen the way his gaze shifted, deducing it's meaning.

"And why are you here?" he questioned lowly.

"I want to assume this is a legitimate church. But, going off of this city's reputation and what I've seen on the way here, I'm inclined to assume otherwise. That's correct, isn't it?" she posed. Instead of a sigh she was expecting, the apparent priest merely hardened his gaze.

"It is" he said in a near whisper.

"Good. But I'm not here to do business with you. There's a...resident here. A guest that's staying in this place, according to the rumor mill" she danced around the subject, waiting for his reaction. His widening eyes told her much.

 _"There is someone like that here. Showed up out of the blue more than a month ago" the bartender whispered._

 _"Let me guess, a young girl. Fourteen or fifteen. Behaves oddly, outfit is just weird. Also a complete badass" Koko responded in kind. He nodded carefully, his gaze narrow._

 _"How much do you know?" he pressed._

 _"A lot" she said simply. He frowned._

 _"Do you realize what you're getting into?" he questioned._

 _"I have a good idea, yes" she answered calmly. The bartender closed his eyes, expelling a breath through his nostrils._

 _"I don't think you do" he whispered._

"Do you want to hire her?" Father Ricardo questioned sternly.

"Perhaps. I want to meet her first, to see if there's any truth to the matter" she answered. He nodded in understanding.

The door he entered from banged open less than a second later, and his hard features crumbled. Koko recognized his expression: fear.

 _"Started just killing randomly. Didn't matter who they were or what faction they belonged to. Dead, all of them. A few days in it started to change. The bigger or tougher groups got targeted. The greater the challenge, the more likely she would go after them."_

The dim light prevented Koko from seeing any great detail about the group that methodically walked their way. All she could she was the silhouettes. The figures were short, she guessed they were less than five feet tall, with the one in the center a head taller than the others. Their torsos and legs were slim, each one moving in tune with the other. The right took a few steps ahead, and the center moved, with the left last. An odd ripple effect that walked in step with incredible discipline.

It wasn't until they stepped into a beam of light that Koko realized she was wrong.

 _"After about a week, the local branch of the Russian Mafia hired some mercenaries to take care of her. They've been in a rocky way since their old leader died, and she was hitting them hard. Killed them of course, but one survived. Some witnesses reported what happened. He lived long enough to try to make a deal with her, to save his life. Ended up telling her how being a hired gun works, how tough it was. After she iced him, she ended up hiring herself out to whoever wanted her services."_

The girl was alone. Her two 'companions' were actually enormous metal constructs, hugging close to her sides. Again she walked into a a beam of light, and Koko saw much more than she could believe. Like how the metal objects were in the shape of arms, each one almost as big as she was. Rows of fingers the size of her hands trailed near the floor, not quite touching it. A mechanism propped them a short distance from her as they attached directly to her actual limbs, which ended well before her elbows.

Koko was engrossed with the astonishing attachments, and it was with great difficulty she tore her eyes off of them to view the rest of her. It came as a relief that little about her was unexpected; what little skin was visible was oddly a brownish color, even if it had an alabaster tone to it. Her clothes consisted of a sleeveless dress that went a little passed her waist, knee socks that ended a few inch below it, and a large black and white striped scarf around her neck, all toped by a small black hood. Short tufts of white hair poked out, and orange eyes were visible as close as she was.

The inhuman girl stopped ten feet away, coldly scanning over the four.

 _"She doesn't care about money. Some groups around here have offered a fortune for her services, but she brushes them off. Only thing she cares about is fighting."_

"Hello there" Koko greeted, noting Father Ricardo discreetly backing off. The girl's hood tipped forward for a second in acknowledgment.

"I've come a long way to come speak with you. Can I get a few minutes of your time?" she said cautiously.

Her response was a curt, methodical, and cold "Yes."

 _"Freelancer. Only accepts harder jobs, and you better be ready for collateral. Some player hired her for a piracy operation about three weeks ago, she ended up tearing half the target apart before they had to bail. She waited until they were docked back here before she slaughtered them all. They didn't deliver, she claimed."_

"I'll start with the basics. My name is Koko Hekmatyr. Yours is?" she asked.

The girl was still for a moment. Their rifles twitched her way when her large faux arms lifted, going up to peel her hood back.

"I am called many names. Death, Diablo, Bitch, and No. But you" her arms lowered, revealing a pretty, unsmiling face that was fixated on the pale woman.

"You will call me Strength."

 _"I don't know why you're going for her. I want to convince you to leave her be, just get the hell out of here. But I know that look in your eyes. Nothing I say or do is going to stop you. So instead, I'm just going to say good luck, and be very careful. Can you do that?" the bartender questioned._

 _Koko smiled._

 _"Always am" she answered. He sighed._

 _"I'm sure you are. She's at the Church of Violence, just hail a cab to get there. Now get the fuck out of my bar."_

"Strength" Koko repeated, mulling the words over. Her hard gaze examined her.

"Most stare at me when they come here. They find me unusual" Strength noted calmly.

"Do they now?" she said quietly, giving her another look.

"Not you. You're not surprised to see me" she said. Koko smiled.

"I've traveled around half the world. Believe me when I say I've seen some weird things" she replied. Strength didn't respond.

She started to walk closer, disregarding the three rifles not quite pointed at her. Koko stayed in place, wondering what she was up to as she stopped just out of arms reach.

For of a human anyway. Faster than any of them could react, Strength threw her arms out wide, all of her fingers splayed out. With a mighty heave she swung them inwards, her metal fingers clashing against their opposite number. Koko was trapped in a small circular hold, letting out only a muffled grunt as the snug hold coiled around her. Icy fear sunk it's claws into her when she realized she was trapped, completely at her mercy.

A twitch on her features was all the sign of exertion Strength showed. Her eyes swiveled around, calmly noting the bodyguards had their weapons pointed at her, close enough to touch.

"Let her go. _Now_ " Lehm commanded.

"No" she said calmly. Despite her precarious position and the tight hold she was in, Koko managed a wry smile.

"You should really listen to him" she explained, her voice short from the lack of air.

"First, you will answer my questions" Strength retorted.

"I'm listening" the grip coiled tighter "I'm listening intently" Koko corrected.

"Good. You've had contact with my kind before, haven't you?" she started.

"That's right. Two of them actually" Koko said, deciding truth was the best route for now.

"Their names?" Strength continued.

"Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master" she answered. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a smirk.

"Really" she murmured. Her strikingly orange eyes closed, her head slowly shaking side to side in what she hoped was bemusement.

"Small world eh?" Koko prompted. Her eyes opened again, the smirk still in place.

"Final question. Your answer will determine whether you live or die" Strength said.

"Just want to point out, if you kill me there's nothing stopping these fine gentlemen and lady from gunning you down. They've dealt with your kind before, so they know how to counter you" she reminded.

"I don't care. The final question is: what are you going to do with them?" she inquired.

Koko took a moment to phrase her response, knowing that one false word would cost her life.

"Black Rock Shooter, I intend to keep, provided she wants to stay. Dead Master, I would like to send her back to her home. I was planning on extending that offer to you" she answered.

Strength was silent for a worrying span of time, musing over the answer. Finally her large hands loosened, falling away to leave Koko briefly unsteady on her feet.

It started with a snort. Another followed it, and another. It bubbled up from the back of her throat, a series of hiccuping sounds of her breath being interrupted. As Valmet helped her regain her balance, Koko realized what the sounds were.

Laughter.

Strength threw her head back to bellow with shrill laughter, sending chills through everyone that heard them. It was not the laughter of a sane human being.

"Shit" Wiley whispered fearfully.

After a long moment her head finally swung back down, fixating on them with an unhinged smile.

"Go back you say?" Strength repeated, snickers escaping her.

"That's right" Koko agreed, uncomfortably nervous. The girl dismissively waved one of her enormous arms at her, a twitch away from being filled with holes.

"Go back. That's hilarious. You can do whatever you want with them, but me" she licked her lips "I'm not going anywhere" she declared. Koko had to gulp down her nervousness before she could answer.

"Why?" she quietly asked.

"I like it here. You humans are soft and weak, but you're so intelligent to make up for it. It's never easy to hunt your kind. I can rarely use the same trick twice, and the number of guns you have! Its never easy, each one is harder than the last. Just the way I like it" she explained, that dangerous smirk never leaving her features.

"So I can't convince you to come with me" Koko stated.

"Unless you can show me a worthy enemy, then no. If that's all you came here for, then leave" she said with an air of finality. Her large hands lifted up to tug the hood over again, turning around to go back the way she came, revealing the existence of a short black metal ribbed tail that lazily wagged behind her.

"Wait" Koko said, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Why here? Why a church?" she asked.

"This is neutral ground in this city. One of the best places for two factions to meet and talk" she answered before walking away.

Koko tore her attention away from the encounter, finding Mao, Lehm, and Valmet looking at her for guidance. She shook her head, making up her mind.

"It's over. Let's get the fuck out of here."

* * *

 **Omake: Karaoke (warning, flanderization ahead)...**

Koko stared in wonder at the large setup the men put together. A stage, several large speakers, a small screen, a stereo, and lastly, a singing mike.

"So, what do you think?" Tojo asked proudly. All ten were clustered into the small room, everyone but Jonah smiling at her amazement.

"I'm shocked. Where did you guys even get half this stuff?" Koko asked. A variety of waves brushed her question off.

"Give it a shot" Valmet offered. Koko was nervous, but she loved karaoke. She went to the stage and grabbed the mike, noticing a tablet in Lehm's hands. With a chuckle he tapped the screen. She recognized the song at once, it was one of her favorites after all. She started to dance with the electro tune, waiting for the words.

" _~Time, to rock and roll, time to lose control~_ " she sang. They erupted into cheer, all save Jonah. She grinned the whole time, planning several escapades with such a machine.

" _~Her name is Koko she is loco I say oh no~_ "

 _A random bar, Manilla..._

The bartender had no idea what to make of the young woman in front of him. It wasn't just her appearance, though that certainly was bizarre: short pants, a short jacket, a bikini top, metal boots and legs that went above her knees, and horns (upon reflection it was definitely unusual). Nor was it the large red toned claws she had for hands, or her pale skin with blazing red eyes. It was her request that had him vexed.

"You want to use the karaoke machine?" he asked.

"Exactly" she agreed in a meticulous tone. He frowned.

"Do you think I'm just going to let any yahoo use my-" the woman slapped a twenty dollar bill on the counter.

"Use my-" he sputtered. She slapped another on.

"Use-" he tried one more time. A third bill joined the tiny pile. He gulped.

"Use my karaoke machine. Go ahead, the case has like four hundred songs on it" he invited cheerfully.

She smiled and nodded, spinning on her heels to march towards the stage. A few of the bar's patrons watched with bored interest as the odd woman easily set up the ready to go stage. In under a minute a long recorded guitar began to string, while she twirled the mike in preparation.

" _~There must be some kind of way out of here~_ " she sang with skill, gently moving her body in tune with the music.

" _~Said the joker to the thief~_ "

 _A lab outside Cape town..._

"You're joking, right?" Karen asked, hoping it wasn't. Alas, the small stage with its mike and large speakers stayed in place, along with Dr. Miami's grin and Malin's guilty look. The short girl nearby looked baffled by the entire affair.

"Oh c'mon, you've never done karaoke before?" the kooky woman said playfully.

"I-I tried to stop her" Malin pleaded.

"You're not at fault Malin, relax. You are" she pointed at the scientist.

" _~You didn't answer my question~_ " she sang off tune.

"I have never sung karaoke" she replied. _Since basic_ , she mentally added.

"Fine" she pouted, turning to the odd looking girl. Even going by the loose standards they'd adopted since Dr. Miami found that thing in the hills, she was bizarre looking. She looked no more than twelve, wearing a gothic lolita dress with claws, a metal crown, and wheels for feet.

"No" the odd girl answered the unspoken question. Miami pouted more.

* * *

 **A/N: all Omake songs were used without permission.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Langley, Virginia..._

Agent Chris 'Crush' Carlisle, freshly promoted to his position in the National Clandestine Service, took a deep breath. It's purpose was to suppress the same feeling of nervousness he got whenever he was about to enter the office of a Senior Chief, doubly so for his new boss. He couldn't help it; even as a CIA operative, the man on the other side of the plain looking wood door (he politely kept his distance from it) was so far removed from the normal politicking that defined much of the intelligence community that he could make a vague implication and it would create or end entire careers.

At last the secretary's phone peeped, and she silently waved him on. He obeyed, finding the door unlocked via his unoccupied hand. Rumors claimed his predecessor had tried entering before he was authorized to, and he had supposedly 'retired' shortly afterwards. Carlisle wasn't entirely sure of it's truthfulness, given his occupation it was in his nature to doubt. It did convince him to tread carefully though, no matter the circumstances. Especially with the sheaf of papers he was delivering.

The office was like most others in the CIA's primary headquarters: plain yet elegant. A few pictures adorned the wood inlaid walls, fitting in nicely with the multiple bookcases. The geek within him cried out when he passed them by; he did want to know what kind of reading material the Chief of the European branch kept. His desk wasn't anything special, just a medium sized lacquered oak. Everything was neat and organized, no clutter as far as he could see.

"Agent Carlisle" greeted the portly man behind the desk. Nothing about him stood out, from the plain features, to the square rimmed glasses, to the light pudge that inflated his cheeks.

"Chief Black. I have the reports you requested" Carlisle said, offering the small stack to him.

Chief George Black obliged him, scanning the first document even as he took it from the man. Seeing as he had a moment of free time, Carlisle discreetly let his eyes wander over the desk. His computer was the standard up to date model most other personnel in the building used, down to the card scanner (briefly he wondered why he wanted hardcopy reports rather than digital). Beside it was a few framed pictures of a smiling woman with children. Family, he guessed.

"Agent Carlisle" the chief said, grabbing him from a tiny case containing a medal "You're dismissed."

Chris Carlisle obediently nodded before removing himself from the office. Internally he thought his nickname, based of his hobby of facing off against superiors and winning, needed changing.

Inside the office Bookman pursed his lips as he browsed through the papers.

"Subject Sierra rejected Hekmatyr" he murmured. That unto itself was unusual, considering that every oscar whiskey that family encountered thus far had signed up with them. Shelving the problem, he turned to the next report, finding it's subject matter fascinating (i.e. extremely concerning).

Oni's report, corroborated with several teams he assigned recently, indicated that Kaspar Hekmatyr was making several moves. From assassinating the son of one of the top supporters of the secretive group to buying stock of several companies that were unrelated at a glance, his goal was clear.

"About time" he commented. Bookman had been expecting him to start a conflict with the group for some time now, given their similar goals and shared preying grounds. He made a mental note to send a warning to the Colonel once he was finished.

The second part however was puzzling. Over a weeks time Kaspar had made no less than three trips to Cape Town, in faraway South Africa. A junior operative had made the discovery that he had also purchased a number of puzzling things: UAVs, hazardous protection equipment, military rations, and large numbers of household items like televisions. Afterwards, he had flown back to Asia with only one bodyguard in tow.

"What are you up to?" Bookman hummed to himself, wondering how he was going to find out. He pretended to mull over his choice, but he already made up his mind the moment he read the report.

Hex was about to have a new mission.

* * *

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Jonah would look over to the seat next to him to find Black Rock Shooter plastered against the window, staring in childlike wonder out to the endless world slowly panning out. No longer; she was slumped over with her jacket over her like a blanket, dozing away the flight. He considered doing it himself, even though they were only going over two time zones this time rather than the eight plus they would've normally.

Normal, he thought to himself. The definition of that word had changed dramatically lately.

Jonah instead glanced the other direction, past a pleasantly relaxed Lehm sipping from a wine glass. On the other side of the first class cabin Koko arranged for them he first saw R unobtrusively keeping his eye on the guests, alternating peeks with looking over a book. The two were a poor reflection of the old days: the boy also read through his own book, while the horned girl had her bare hands (her claws were kept in a secure case to make getting through customs easier) on the edges of the thick window as she peered out. He could easily picture her awed expression, especially as they closed in on their destination.

He wondered what Koko was doing that moment. Over the hum of the cabin's occupants and the white noise of the plane he could hear the pale woman speaking quietly to Valmet, in the seat diagonal to his. Nothing they said reached him, it was the hum of their voices and nothing else. However, it didn't take a leap of logic to guess what they were talking about. Most likely, it was the reason why they were on the plane in the first place.

Beside him Black Rock Shooter stirred, coming out of sleep. She blinked away tears and blocked a yawn while she grabbed her phone to check the time, finding it almost at the appointed schedule. Satisfied with the result, she first checked the window to see the faraway but definitely approaching coastline. She then checked the cabin, giving a once over to every one in sight. To her discomfort the tension in Jonah she spotted from two days ago was still there.

* * *

 _Narita International Airport, three hours later..._

"Alright! Look lively people!" Koko extolled, dramatically gesturing out to the terminal, just as they left the plane. The majority of the party of thirteen made a visible effort of looking as bored and tired as possible, shuffling their feet along lazily. She still smiled, but she clearly began to grind her teeth. Mao snickering broke the spell.

Jonah glanced around, unconsciously searching for exits. In the process he discovered Huey looking around in amazement. None of the adults looked particularly concerned however. Interestingly, both Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master were looking around with confused frowns. Curious himself, he went to the former and tapped her arm to grab her attention.

"What's the matter?" he quietly asked. She shook her head and retrieved her phone.

Its nothing, she said.

"You sure?" Jonah went. She hesitated before typing out a response.

Something about this place, she admitted. He raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he started.

Her response never came. Ahead was the local customs security that seemed to be in every airport around the world, ready and waiting for them. As far as Jonah could tell, the only difference between these men and the ones in London or Cape Town was the uniforms and ethnicity. Black Rock Shooter saw this as well and pocketed her phone, preparing for the rigorous searching that always accompanied these trips. With the upcoming test ahead, he sighed and promised to find out later.

Methodically the four men with their two metal detectors processed them, speaking instructions in badly accented english. Wiley and Tojo went first, the latter briefly striking up a short conversation that none of them could understand (save Koko, and even she had trouble following along). Other than some odd looks over the two young girls which a hidden bribe took care of, Jonah was the only one to give the group trouble.

Upon waving a beeping scanner over his bum, Jonah said "I have a bullet lodged in my butt" to the suddenly perturbed guard. Ten minutes later he finally confirmed that yes, there was a bullet fragment in the boy's rear end (again helped via a covert bribe).

In due course they finally got through, dispatching the customary red tape with clean efficiency. Out of all of them, Dead Master was clearly most amazed by the long procedure.

"What was all that for?" she asked the closest, R in this case.

"Oh, that? Whole point is to filter out any dangerous people that want in the country" he explained. She frowned.

"But we're dangerous. They let us through" she pointed out. From the front, leading the procession of killers onward, Koko overheard and chuckled.

"Never said they were perfect" R pointed out. Thinking it over, Dead Master nodded sagely at the statement, wondering how she could use it to her advantage. Huey merely harrumphed.

Koko suddenly came to a stop by the main gate, surprising the entire group. She turned and strolled back to the suddenly alert afro'd boy, wearing a neutral smile.

"Alright Huey, this is it" she started. He narrowed his eyes, while most of the group around him guessed what was about to happen.

"What is?" he asked back.

"To be totally truthful, I overestimated your importance. Dead Master here hardly seems to care about you, and you've been really annoying to my crew" she explained. The boy's fists clenched, and when he spoke next it was a cold reply.

"So this is it. You're going to shove me onto the nearest plane back to Maryland" he spat.

Koko closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Not exactly. I see a lot of myself in you, unrefined and deeply biased admittedly. Not to mention more delusional than I ever was" she said. Despite the barb Huey was surprised, needing a few seconds to regain his wits.

"So yes, I can have you sent back home right now. Or, you can take a job offer" she started. A muffled cough from Lutz grabbed her attention, which she ended up disregarding.

"Job offer?" he asked in confusion.

"Remember that rocket launch? That woman I was with" Koko began. At once the group blanched in unison.

"That crazy japanese lady?" he confirmed, which she nodded to.

"She can use a new assistant. Before you object" she interrupted his aborted statement "labor laws in South Africa are much looser. The way I see it, you'll not only get the chance to see the world and hopefully shed that worldview you're so fond of, but also get paid for it" she explained.

"And if I refuse?" he asked curtly.

"Back home for you. Either way, you're not traveling any more with us. So, what will it be? Maryland or Cape Town?" she posed.

Huey needed several minutes to decide, he couldn't give such a simple answer so quickly. Koko had great patience to await his answer; Black Rock Shooter did not.

While the rest of them watched his deliberation she detached herself from the group, making her way to a nearby shop. There were two different scripts above the door; the top was a series of squiggles that she couldn't read. She understood it was writing, but it was one she that was beyond her. Underneath that was a message in english, Tokawa Cafe it said, presumably for the benefit for people like her. Even if it wasn't there, she recognized a shop when she saw one.

She paused before entering, giving the odd symbols another look. Something about them tickled her memory.

A dozen or so other patrons were inside, half of them had the same type of facial structure as Tojo and Mao (though they seemed to lean closer to the former in her opinion), while the other half were of various nationalities. One of them was in front of her, a tall latino man. He made a brief transaction with the thirtish Tojo-like man behind the counter, the latter smiling and chatty while the first was taciturn. A wave dismissed him from the line, allowing her to come to the counter.

" _Welcome young lady, what can I get you?_ " the cashier greeted friendlily, his eyes roaming over her strange appearance. Black Rock Shooter paid him no mind, instead she shook her head and mimed zipping her lips. The man ah'd.

" _Diaspora eh? Alright,_ how can I help you?" his voice changed, enunciating every work carefully. Black Rock Shooter rolled her eyes and repeated the motion that usually conveyed the fact that she couldn't speak. The cashier's smile dropped entirely.

"What do you want?" he snapped. At last she nodded and looked over the menu.

For several seconds she agonized over her her choices. Each and every picture on the simple board looked delicious, and she could only choose one. Would it be a fresh caramel apple sprinkled with peanuts? Or the sprinkled shake? Every choice was good, usually there was an option or two that she would turn her nose up at, but not here. By the man's growing irritation she guessed he was running out of patience.

With a sigh she pointed at the glazed bun. It was different, and she hadn't had something like it in a while. Huffing in displeasure the cashier retrieved her order, while she grabbed her wallet. He put the small bun in a small box at the same time she pulled a ten dollar bill to hand over. The cashier gave her one last dirty look before he took it. For the sake of politeness she refrained from taking it until he processed her order. He rooted around inside for a long moment before handing her change back. She took it and grabbed her newest box, giving a polite nod his way before turning back the way of the door.

"Come again" he muttered ruefully. After that Black Rock Shooter planned to go back to the team some thirty yards away to find out the results of the boy's choice, munching on her treat.

Things didn't work out that way.

She made it a few steps out the door when a drawn out whistle caught her attention. Black Rock Shooter stopped, raising her brow in confusion. Only a few seconds were spent searching for the source of the noise, the end result of which puzzled her. There was a young man leaning against a concrete pillar a few feet away with his arms crossed, smirking in a way she didn't like and staring at her.

" _Hey there pretty girl_ " he greeted suggestively. He was clad in a baggy shirt and even baggier jeans, with a beanie hugging his head. Something about him was making her bristle. She moved her box to her other arm, quickly pocketing her change to leave an arm open for...she caught herself. This boy was just a civilian, ergo no threat to her. Preparing a weapon was just ridiculous.

The young man pushed himself off of the wall, lazily coming her way. This time she did clench her fist in anticipation, in spite of the consequences.

" _So, you alone?_ " he inquired, licking his lips and keeping up that unpleasant smirk. She scowled to deter him, but all that accomplished was making him chuckle. " _If you're not doing anything else..._ " He reached into his pocket for a small rectangular object " _I was thinking you could..._ " His wrist flickered, unfolding the object around to reveal a four inch knife.

" _Give me your wallet_ " he finished. His smirk was disrupted at last when, instead of fear or shock, she merely looked at him with impassive annoyance. His scowl made the pigtailed girl roll her eyes. Whether he realized it or not, the situation was over with.

It should've ended in one of two ways: either he realized the girl didn't fear him so he should give up to go harass someone else, or he would keep trying and get a thorough pummeling for his troubles. Life however, is never that simple.

"Leave her alone" asserted a new voice. Both looked over, the man not recognizing the brown boy that was approximately the same age as the girl. Black Rock Shooter on the other hand, frowned at him.

" _Who the fuck are you?_ " he snapped at him, waving the butterfly knife at him. Like the girl, he showed zero sign of being intimidated by his weapon.

"I said, leave her alone" Jonah calmly repeated. The young man turned his attention fully to the boy, while the girl cringed as she crouched to the ground.

" _You want to get cut you little gaijin shit?_ " he threatened, brandishing the knife his way. It occurred to the young man that there was a scar on the boy's cheek; coupled with his lack of fear, and it meant that he was potentially dangerous. He ignored the thought, it was too late to back off now.

"Last warning" the boy said dangerously. It occurred to him that the man didn't speak english.

" _You fuck with me and I'll bring the entire Awakusu clan down on your ass_ " the man threatened. It didn't occur to him that the boy couldn't understand him.

His only warning was a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Too late, he tried to bring the knife around. The girl's gloved hand, rippling with strength, grabbed his arm to yank him over, so he was facing her. Making it easy for her to deliver a punch to his gut that knocked all the breath out of his body. As he began to stagger, her second free hand uppercutted the bottom of his jaw. Even as he lost consciousness, he realized she was pulling her punches. He was out cold well before he hit the ground.

Jonah looked over the fallen would-be mugger for a second before looking at Black Rock Shooter. Predictably, she wasn't even breathing hard.

"You alright?" he asked her. She gave him a dirty look. A few seconds of digging yielded her phone.

 _Why did you bother?_ she asked.

"I saw him threatening you. You expected me to just watch?" he replied.

Instead of typing she gestured at the young man's unconscious form.

"If you wander off and someone threatens you, then I'm going to help you" he retorted.

Black Rock Shooter rolled her eyes and turned away, heading back to her boxed bun that still rested on the ground. Along the way, she wondered why Jonah interfered at all. He knew that she could take care of herself, especially when the 'threat' was just a common criminal. After plucking her box of the ground she began to dust the bottom of it off, hoping that no germs got on to ruin the treat. She didn't fully grasp what germs were, but she picked up that they were bad, so she tried to avoid them wherever possible. In spite of her distaste, she did feel a degree of gratitude that he did come to help. Even if it was pointless.

A few feet away, Jonah was asking himself the same question. It's not like she was in any real danger, he thought. He gave the unconscious man, barely more than a boy himself, one more reproachful look. Just a would be thief that thought he was far more dangerous than he really was. Compared to the foes they defeated up until that point; assassins, soldiers, mercenaries, even another being like her. Only the last one was trouble, and in the end she came out on top anyway. He was below nothing. So why did he feel the impulse to come help when he saw her being harassed?

Jonah didn't know. Questions he refused to admit existed scratched at his thoughts, vying for attention. He shook them off as best he could before walking back to the group, Black Rock Shooter a few feet behind him. Unseen but not unheard, she began to dig into the glazed bun, studiously putting the events of the past few minutes behind her to focus on the present. As luck would have it, the pair rejoined just as the afro'd boy reached his answer.

"I'll do it" Huey announced. Jonah glanced around, discovering he wasn't the only one who wandered off. Only Valmet, R, Dead Master, and Mao stuck around to wait for him. Everyone else had filtered away to the shops, much like Rock did. As he watched Lehm and Wiley were on their way back already.

"Excellent. Here you go" Koko said cheerfully, producing a small slip of hard paper from the inside of her suit. The boy raised an eyebrow as he accepted it, which turned into a hard frown.

"You knew I'd accept, didn't you?" he asked tightly. Lutz and Tojo came into view, took one look at the boy's face, and reached for their pockets. Ugo walked up behind them and chuckled as money swapped hands.

"We all did actually" Valmet added. Again the unit mustered, silently waiting for orders.

"What she said. Your flights in an hour" again she reached into her breast pocket and withdrew a wad of thinner paper "Here's two thousand yen, don't spend it all in one place" she said as she handed the money over. He accepted, nodding bravely.

"Thank you. For taking me along" Huey said after a moment. She politely curtsied his way.

"It was no problem. Safe travels Huey Freeman."

With that, he looked at his ticket for the right gate and set off, stopping just long enough to give a hesitant wave at the group. The entire team, with a discreet prompt, waved back, including Dead Master (she even managed a smile).

Once he was firmly out of sight Koko let out a sputtered sigh.

"Finally, the damn brat is gone" she said tiredly.

"No kidding. It was neat at first but he got annoying fast" R commented.

"He's a good kid. Just has to get his head out of his ass" Lehm added, which was met by several agreeing nods. Dead Master moved her horned head to each speaker in turn, growing more puzzled by each one.

"I don't understand" she said. As the closest, Wiley took it upon himself to help.

"What part?" he asked genially. By a whisk of her hand Koko got ten of the twelve member group walking again, and with only a slight wave the Wiley got the horned girl moving with them. He noticed that Black Rock Shooter took a spot on the edge of the party, opposite of Dead Master. Two weeks and there was no sign of the hostilities between them dropping, a fact that troubled him.

"You were so polite. Now you say how much you hate him?" she asked, waving a bare hand in the air.

"Well, I wouldn't say hate. More like annoyed. Lehms right, he really is a good kid. He's just...inexperienced I suppose" Wiley explained. She nodded, frowning after a minute.

"If I were to leave, would you say the same?" Dead Master asked. He chuckled nervously, aware that several judgmental people were close by.

"Nu-uh. Rock yes" her eyes narrowed dangerously "But the rest of us wouldn't. You're a handful admittedly, but not that bad. We've dealt with worse" he clarified. Her frown melted away, replaced by satisfaction.

"Good. I gave you less trouble than her" she said vindictively, giving a nod towards the other girl's direction. Wiley rubbed the back of his head nervously, which she didn't seem to pick up on.

Up front, Valmet leaned in closer to the striding Koko to speak.

"Where's he supposed to meet us?" she asked softly.

"Said he'd meet us at the terminal, but I was hoping we could sneak away for several hours. You know there's a really good amusement park not far from here" Koko suggested.

"That sounds like fun" Valmet enthusiastically agreed, but her mood dampened fast "I was kinda wondering though, about the kids." Koko still smiled like always, the cold glint in her eyes going nowhere.

"For the girls, we'll tell him just the bare minimum. No weapon demonstrations, no bad attitudes. Half truths, nothing further. As for Jonah, this has been a long time coming" she explained.

"What if it turns violent?" Valmet quietly asked. To her surprise Koko giggled.

"You trust Jonah that little? I'd lay money that he'll behave. Kaspar isn't dumb, he knows how to avoid provoking him" she answered.

As the twelve passed by a posh looking restaurant a shrill whistle rang out. Only two among them didn't look over to its source as it lazily walked out to greet them, the first one because he was already looking their way.

"Speak of the devil" Koko murmured. She left Valmet's side to stroll over to the two, planting her hands on her hips and putting on her best smile in greeting.

"What's up Koko?" greeted the smiling man, a business suited man with pale skin and hair, his piercing blue eyes exactly like hers. Beside him a heavily muscled woman in a tee shirt and jeans waved rockers horns their way, smiling as well. Her name was Chiquita, and she locked eyes with Lehm for a second, her smile softening.

"Kaspar, long time no see" Koko greeted cheerfully, coming to a stop just before him. Her group casually formed a perimeter around the meeting.

"Isn't that the truth. How you doing little sis?" Kaspar Hekmatyr started.

"Doing good big bro. I owe you a punch for that suit job you pulled on me" she accused, which he playfully waved his hands in supplication.

"Hey hey, I was busy. Sorry for shoving it off onto you. But c'mon, it all worked out in the end anyway. You even stepped in on my area in the process. Speaking of which, heard about that big naval exercise the Americans are doing?" he asked. Koko waved him off.

"How about we get inside before getting down to gossip first, okay?" she suggested. Kaspar sighed loudly, more for dramatic effect than anything. Nevertheless he turned to lead the way inside, the ever growing party filing in after them. Unseen by either a silent and concerted effort was made to put two bodies between the girls, to prevent an 'accident' from occurring in public.

The large group took the empty (doubtlessly reserved beforehand) seats near the window, during which Koko noticed an absence of something.

"Hey, where are the ravens?" she asked. Chiquita snickered, mumbling "That ones new."

"Allan, Poe, and Edgar?" he asked, deliberately avoiding the combination that he claimed wasn't intentional "Gave them some time off. Bad sushi" he explained.

"Ouch. Sucks to be them" she said, shaking her head sympathetically.

"Yep. Nothing serious mind you, they should be back to normal in a day or two" Kaspar explained. For the second time in as many weeks Koko noticed the note in his voice that set her on edge. Unlike the first time, she didn't think anything of it; her brother was just like her, always up to something.

"That's good. You mentioned something about a naval exercise?" she asked. Beside him Chiquita snorted.

"On to that again. He hasn't shut up about it in four days" she said.

"And I'll keep at it. Operation Shaman. It's mainly between the US Navy and the Thai Navy, but there's some Japanese, Australian, South Korean, and Filipino assets tagging along for the ride. Someone really screwed the pooch in the northern regions, and the Thai are blaming the Chinese. No idea who's responsible, all I know is things are going to get hectic for a while" Kaspar explained. Koko reflected on the term for a moment, wondering why it kept being brought up.

"No surprise there. How do you plan on dealing with it? You're out of vacation days if I recall" she barbed.

"I know, I know. I'm thinking about getting back over to West Asia for a while until it blows over. With luck, it'll just be a thing this year. Cobra Gold is a pain in the ass as is."

A waiter passed by to serve them drinks, iced tea by popular consent. Once he was gone Kaspar tented his fingers, the cheer fading away.

"Now, as for why I called you guys here" he began. Koko nodded, planning to interrupt before he got too into it.

"Let's hear it" Koko invited.

"It seems some ghosts are getting in my way over here. Ghosts with a sixty year history" he said enigmatically.

"Cut the drama and get to the point" she politely jabbed. He snorted, grabbing a sip of tea.

"Fine, ruin the suspense. Short version, a covert ops team so black their own government buried them. Something something your man Tojo" he said loftily. Koko nodded automatically, the full impact not hitting her until several seconds later.

"Hold on, you don't mean..." Kaspar nodded.

"The SR unit. Japanese defense intelligence's deepest secret" he said smirkingly. Koko leaned back, trying to process the depth her brother casually found himself in.

"I'm speechless. Congrats I guess. Though...why me?" she asked suddenly.

"I tried HQ's Intel, everything they had. Turns out it was a couple of lines more than jack and shit. Tojo was one of them once, he can tell me all I need to know" he went on. Her eyes narrowed.

"And, purely by coincidence, you have ten more PMCs that can help wrap up the fight started" she accused. He continued to smirk, not even trying to deny it.

"If it goes that far. Of we're lucky I can get them to fold before that. You're insurance" he clarified. Koko nodded testily.

"Fine. Looks like I'll help you out then. Again" she bemoaned. Kaspar snickered.

"Again?" he asked bemusedly.

"Again. Remember divers training?" Koko reminded.

"Oh c'mon, you're not still mad about the Nova are you?" he pleaded mockingly.

"About you wrapping my birthday present around a tree? Nope. Not all all" Koko went with a total lack of sincerity. Chiquita chortled through the entire conversation.

The pale woman was planning on interrupting at a choice moment for the prime issue in her opinion, but surprisingly he beat her to it.

"Before we get down to to the nitty gritty, I need to see Jonah" Kaspar said, rising from his seat. Chiquita started to get up as well, but he held up a hand at her.

"It's alright, just some personal business" he said, a layer of command in his tone. She huffed but plopped back down.

"He's over there" Koko jabbed a thumb in the boy's general direction, towards one of the occupied tables "Play nice" she warned, which he chuckled at.

Since he walked through the door Jonah had been silent, brooding over the impending meeting. At the table he was sitting at R and Black Rock Shooter joined him, outwardly at ease. R tried to get him to talk about how he felt about being in Narita, but when the boy responded only with grunts, and he gave up after a few minutes. The girl was concerned; not since the night in Egypt did she see him in a mood like this, and not to this degree. She had to force herself not to stare at him, aware that he too was avoiding looking towards the pale man.

Jonah had just started to drum his fingers on the table surface when he suddenly picked up. Black Rock Shooter noticed, turning her attention to where he was looking. She also noticed that he was coming onto his guard, which made her wary as well. The business suited man walked towards their table, his glowing smile similar to their boss's.

"Jonah, there you are. How've you been kiddo?" Kaspar said genially.

"Kaspar" Jonah replied, bereft of emotion. Kaspar nodded, his eyes slowly trailing to the side.

"Well, isn't that a sight" he said softly. Black Rock Shooter drew herself up, locking her cold gaze to his. He stuck a hand out over the table to her.

"I'm Kaspar, Koko's sister. Blake Sauders, right?" he asked. The girl stared at it for several seconds, only extending a hand when a peek at R showed him inclining his head. The two clasped hands, the man noting the hard hand underneath the glove and saying nothing about it.

"Say" he said as he released her hand "I was going to take Jonah on a little trip. You want to tag along?" Kaspar offered. R and Jonah picked up, and he could tell his sister was staring his way. The girl tilted her head to the side, frowning at the offer. At the same time the boy was staring hard at him.

"I know it's personal business. But really, what could it hurt?" he said to Jonah.

"It's acceptable" he said after a moment.

"Good. Listen, I got a lot to do, and not a whole lot of time to do it. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now, not sure if I'll get another chance before Koko whisks you all off again" Kaspar outlined to the girl, who continued to stare flatly at him.

Finally she nodded.

"Great. I got a car waiting, lets go" he waved on. Obediently both the boy and the girl stood up, following him away back out the door. Several apprehensive eyes trailed after them.

Dead Master frowned and tapped on the arm of the closest, Tojo in this case.

"Where are they going?" she asked lowly. He pushed his glasses back up to his brow.

"If I had to guess, Kaspar is going to show Jonah he's held up his end of the bargain" he answered, giving Koko a wary look.

"Why is she going with them? And what bargain?" she pressed, a hint of anger in her tone. The man sighed, looking around for help. Koko stood up from her seat to stroll over, for a moment lifting his spirits.

* * *

In contrast to her usual custom, Black Rock Shooter kept in the normal position of sitting in a car, i.e. feet on the floor with her rear on the seat. She felt the impulse to reverse it so her boots could tap on the ceiling, but she quashed it hard. For starters, she wasn't among friends who had long ago found her actions endearing. This pale man was a gender flipped version of Koko, down to the constant smile. Yet she did not feel any sense of trust, the opposite in fact. Something about him had her on guard, though she could not figure out what.

In addition, there was the sights to consider. Not the view of the vast city that they passed by, with its indecipherable writing that continued to tickle her memory. She didn't care for sights of urbanization through the view of a pane of glass; television or the internet provided all that and more. What did grab her attention and refused to let go was Jonah.

He was almost still, hardly moving except to breathe. From the backseat she couldn't see his expression, though she could easily guess the blank look and the ever vigilant eyes. That unto itself wasn't so unusual. Rather, it was the tension he was putting out, almost like a physical thing. She couldn't remember a time he was like this so much; even when they were being shot at he maintained a solid block. Even when a bullet struck home and blood flowed freely, he never lost that eery calm (it reminded her of herself, as much as she didn't like to admit it).

Jonah still possessed that calm, but it was closer to breaking than she'd ever seen before. That, more than anything else, made her dislike Kaspar.

"Not very talkative, are you?" Kaspar said dryly. Black Rock Shooter flicked her gaze away from the dashboard to the rearview mirror, finding his eyes reflected back at her. She lightly shook her head. He let out a quiet chuckle.

"I can understand why Jonah's quiet. Did he ever fill you in on what happened? I'm willing to bet no, it's touchy business" he rambled smoothly. The rental car bounced over a bump, doing nothing to disrupt the atmosphere. She nodded once.

"Really" he went in mild surprise "That's weird. Never could get him to open up myself, unless you count trying to stab me. How'd you do it?" he asked cheerfully.

Her response was a blank stare. The man rolled his eyes melodramatically, not letting his attention off the road for more than a few seconds.

"Ah well. It's good though, congratulations" he said.

Finally Jonah spoke, little more than a whisper "For what?"

"For proving that both of you have a heart. You act like a terminator sometimes, erm, a robot" he hurriedly corrected before looking in the mirror once more "And from what I've heard about you, you could be a human shaped reaper drone. Underneath those hard exteriors, you're still human" he explained.

Black Rock Shooter nodded thoughtfully, frowning as the meaning of his words sank in. She hadn't given much (if any) thought regarding her status in this world; she had just existed, and that was that. In the end, what was she in relation to everything else? Just how did she fit in the grand scheme of things? Was she simply apart, living but never fitting, or had she begun to change? The implications were mind blowing.

Jonah grunted neutrally.

"Guess what" Kaspar announced, in time for the car to begin slowing down. The sedan left the expressway some time ago, though neither thought anything of it. Now the vehicle came to a stop.

Outside was a small complex. Dominating the center was a two story white building with many large windows, in addition there was a three story structure nearby. An ornamental fence separated the space from the rest of the area, though there was four separate gates just in their field of view. Black Rock Shooter wasn't entirely sure of what to make of it, but for some reason she was certain it wasn't a fortress.

"See that? It's a top notch international school, covers kindergarten to high school. Kids are well treated here, though from what I've heard the dorm mother is kinda strict" he said jokingly. On a hunch she unclipped her seatbelt to get over the center console.

Jonah was pressed against the glass, looking happier than she could ever remember. She followed his gaze, discovering that a few children had started to appear from the windowed building. They walked with casual ease, never looking over their shoulders or checking the surrounding area. They had bags either on their shoulders or carried beside them, but she saw not a single weapon on any of them. It startled her.

"Oh right, Saturday is a half day, glasses get out early. Look, there they are" Kaspar pointed to a trio that were walking into view. Jonah's gasp made Black Rock Shooter pick up.

"If memory serves, Maurice, Elena, and Jeano. Right?" he asked for confirmation. Jonah ignored him, his hands drifting to the door latch.

"I'll take that as a yes. In case you're wondering they're doing well. Not rich by any means, but certainly not poor. They'll be covered here until they graduate, after that is up to them" he went on, his words falling on deaf ears.

Black Rock Shooter saw his hands wrap around the door handle, and stopped.

"Well? What're you waiting for?" Kaspar asked. Jonah's hand stayed where they were, not deviating an inch.

"They're fine?" he asked quietly.

"Of course. Go check for yourself" Kaspar answered.

A tense minute went by, with no sound inside the car louder than breathing. But at the end, Jonah let his hands fall away.

"Then...I don't need to" he said, slumping back in his seat. The girl had her phone out and response typed faster than she thought possible.

 _Y?_ she half shoved the screen in his face, heedless of the man's questioning look.

"It's okay" Jonah said, gently pushing her hand away "Kaspar is a scumbag, but when he makes a deal he upholds it." The man in question chuckled through clenched teeth.

"Glad you think so highly of me" he half muttered, somewhere between flattered and insulted.

Again she held the screen close to his face, and again he guided it away.

"It's fine" Jonah said with an air of finality. Fifty feet away the three kinds took a corner into what she assumed was a living area. Kaspar shrugged.

"If you say so. So, want to head back then?" he asked.

Jonah nodded, looking out the window once more. Black Rock Shooter saw his expression reflected in the glass, wondering why he refused to go talk to the kids. The car started up and turned around, getting back onto the highway a few minutes later. Her questions weren't so easy to get rid of however. She settled back into her seat, clipping the seatbelt back on after a moment, wondering why he refused to go see then.

 _He's afraid_. She realized it with a flash of insight. The boy who sat in the front seat wasn't the same boy that had once sacrificed everything to save them. Even in the short time she'd known him, he was different. Black Rock Shooter worriedly noted that she wasn't the only one that could change. And not all change was for the better. In spite of that, she also noted some of the tension in him was gone now. That simple fact relieved her, though she could not say why.

* * *

 **A/N: PS: I lied.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is a shout out to Acidika, who has stayed with this story since I started Lost in Transition, way back in september of 2015. He's going through a rough time right now, so if you (the reader) don't mind, could you go to his profile and read a few of his stories? Drop a review or two if you can. He'd appreciate it if he knows people care.**

 **For the man himself, I owe him a particular debt that currently remains unpaid. Hope this partially makes up for it.**

* * *

Unbeknownst to the crew and passengers of Flight 417, outbound from Narita International Airport to Jakarta, they were being watched. This was not unexpected, nor unwelcome. It would have been more unusual if they weren't being watched by someone or another, whether it be a flight control operator looking up from his terminal or a passerby on the nearby road looking up at the booming noise. Koko knew this all too well, knowing that directing her sour glare to the 747 was pointless. It didn't stop her from doing it.

Outside the terminal she, along with Tojo, Valmet, and Jonah stood in a visitors area nearby the parking lot, separated from the tarmac by a chain link fence. Strictly speaking, they weren't actually allowed to be there, but it was such a pitiful rule that she hardly noticed breaking it. In any event, it gave her some privacy for the upcoming conversation. She had the feeling they were going to need it.

"Typical. Motor mouths for an hour and takes off in a heartbeat" she commented ruefully. Two of her three companions nodded in agreement.

"Where's he going again?" Valmet asked.

"A dummy corporation in Jakarta" Tojo spoke up "Its an SR Unit fortress. He's going to go distract them while we make our moves here" he explained. Though he had a small grin, the strain underneath was visible.

"Indeed. Claims there won't be violence too" Koko said. She took her eyes off of the shrinking aircraft to turn around, facing Tojo but addressing them all.

"I bet you're wondering why we're here" she started, her erstwhile glare softening into her smile. Meanwhile Jonah came away from the fence to listen more closely.

"We siblings look out for each other. Always have. I wouldn't exactly call it love, more like 'who else can you rely on.' It's very much a favor system, but with ironclad rules" Koko explained.

"So, if we needed help you would call him?" Jonah asked. She nodded, noting that the tension in him from earlier was mostly gone.

"Yep. Admittedly I haven't called in his help before, never faced a problem that bad before" she answered.

"Puts into perspective how bad things are huh?" Tojo added.

"No kidding. By doing this, he regains his trade routes in Southeast Asia. Keeps the goods coming and going. The ton of cash he's kicking our way is just a bonus. However" her smile dropped, and the temperature seemed to lower several degrees.

"By doing this, you'll be fighting against your old comrades Tojo. Can you handle that?" she questioned coldly.

Without missing a beat, he replied "Sure thing."

Jonah glanced at Koko, noting her frown hadn't vanished. Indeed, it looked like it was worsening.

"Oh c'mon, I'm not that much of a heartless bastard. Colonel Hinoki only taught me most of what I know. Most important part of being a professional is to not let feelings get in the way was his biggest lesson" he half laughed.

"You sure?" Koko pressed. He grinned.

"Of course. I work for you and HCLI. Tell me to point a gun at him or an SR operative and I might feel bad later. I don't care about any of those guys" Tojo finished.

No sooner did the words leave his lips did a large and heavily muscled arm wrap around his throat, while another was forced against the side of his head, immobilizing him. He realized what it was (a sleeper hold) at the same time he realized who was doing it.

"So, no regret for killing your comrades?" Valmet questioned dangerously, right next to his ear. Jonah watched the affair impassively, noting that the man's face kept alternating between terror and happiness.

"N-no" Tojo squeaked, squirming to free himself from her powerful grip, but to no avail. The grip tightened.

"I find your lack of camaraderie...disturbing" Valmet hissed. Just as Jonah noticed his face turning an interesting shade of blue, Koko snickered.

"That's enough. Valmet, release him" she commanded, falsely grave.

She relaxed her grip, letting the poor man collapse to his knees with a gasp. He stayed like that for a long minute, heaving for air and gingerly rubbing his throat. What perplexed the boy was that along with the obvious relief at not being choked to death anymore, there was a degree of disappointment as well. When he glanced at Valmet with her arms akimbo, he did some calculations and internally ah'd, remembering the day on the beach.

When he finally could, Tojo looked up at Koko with a dry look.

"Really?" Tojo heaved.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said with a large grin.

"That was almost word for word" he countered. Now it was Valmet's turn to giggle, quickly covering her mouth to hide her grin.

"We watched it on the way here. Sorry, couldn't help it" she shyly apologized.

"I could keep going if you want. We shall crush the SR Unit with one swift stroke!" Koko pumped a fist into the air, lasting only a few seconds before her act crumpled, and she giggled. Valmet joined in immediately, while Tojo conceded defeat a few seconds later and started to laugh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jonah staring at them blankly.

"W-what's the matter?" Koko had to fight through a round of giggles to get the question out.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked. Tojo chuckled darkly.

"Jonah, you just volunteered yourself for a full day marathon of movie watching" he warned.

"Yep. Though it's going to have to wait until this is over. Business awaits lady and gents" she announced, the cheery mood dissipating. With a wave of her hand she ordered the three to follow her, though Jonah had to help Tojo get back onto his feet first. The way they were going was back to the parking lot, where the others would be shortly.

"Tojo, who was your mentor again? Hinoki, correct?" Koko asked.

"Yeah, Colonel Yosuke Hinoki. Why?" he asked back, still a little weak from his near death experience.

"I don't suppose you still have his phone number, do you?" she inquired. His loud sigh caused Jonah to give him a curious look.

"Mind if I ask why?" he questioned.

"Just want to see which way the wind is blowing is all" she answered.

 _Sixty miles away, ten minutes later..._

Colonel Yosuke Hinoki's day was going decently, all things considered. For an intelligence agent in a black ops division, a 'good day' was one that everything, or at least most of the things, went as planned. As planned often meant it's normal definition; i.e. as the plan specified. In his line of work however, it more often than not boiled down to meaning 'everyone goes home with all or most of their pieces' or something along those lines. In the past twenty four hours none of his people lost their lives, so that equaled good. It beat the alternative anyway.

The older man, tall with darkly tanned skin from spending a great deal of time in the tropics, felt his phone begin to ring without much surprise. He waited until his tray was set on the table before he grabbed it to answer, taking just a second to look at the caller ID: predictably it said 'unknown caller.' For a second Hinoki considered letting it go to voicemail, considering what he had to do in the next few minutes. But anyone who went to the trouble of getting his personal cell number was probably not going to be dissuaded by a recording. With a quiet sigh and a mumbled curse he clicked the call button.

"Hello?" he greeted cordially, sitting down and straightening out his suit. Out of habit he looked around the fast food restaurant, looking for eavesdroppers.

Out of all the voices he expected to hear, the one who said "Colonel Hinoki?" was among the last. Unable to stop himself, he brought himself to attention.

"Tojo? Akihiko Tojo?" he went astonishingly. From the other end of the line came a nervous chuckle.

"That's right. I'm surprised you remembered me" he admitted.

"Oh come on, you think I'm senile? You were my best student" he countered.

"Yeah, sorry. You busy right now?" he asked.

"Nah, you caught me at a good time. I'm getting lunch, another twenty minutes and I'd be on the road" he answered.

"Good to hear. How've you been?" Tojo gossiped.

"Starting to think I'm getting old. Asking myself all the cliche crap like what have I done with my life. Other than that, busy busy busy, nothing new. How about you?" Hinoki gossiped back.

"Ditto" he replied.

"I should've known. You need to start thinking about settling down, you're not getting any younger" Hinoki admonished, which Tojo chuckled at.

"Says the man of a dozen lives. I will never know how you keep it all straight" he said admiringly. Over the tinny line he heard a loud and distinctive sound.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be at an airport, would you?" he probed.

"That's right. I'm in Japan right now actually. For work" he said, good natured but suddenly hard. The older man chuckled darkly.

"I suppose we better get down to business then" he said, a little sadly. On the other end Tojo muffled a sigh.

"I want you to stop this conflict with HCLI. They're taking steps for war with the SR Unit, and they don't intend to lose" he stated. Hinoki grinned, even knowing full well the younger man couldn't see it.

"HCLI. Last I heard you quit working for them" he went cheerfully.

"I quit working for Kaspar. Don't change the subject Colonel" Tojo said firmly.

"I see. I'm curious though, how were we described to your people?" Hinoki questioned.

"The specific wording used was ghosts" he answered.

"Ghosts. I like that, describes us perfectly. Now, if you don't mind, how does HCLI plan to deal with us?" he questioned, a small amount of viciousness leaking into his tone.

"Can't say. But you do know they have me, someone who knows your playbook. Last chance Yosuke" Tojo stated. Again the man chuckled darkly.

"Goodbye Tojo. Keep that prepaid phone on hand, I may call you later" he said, about to end the call.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way" he got through at the last second before he clicked it off.

Hinoki held the phone in front of him, smiling but not feeling any mirth.

"Me too" he murmured.

The Colonel was consumed by his thoughts, plans and scenarios whipping through the mind that, unlike his body, hadn't dulled with age. So focused was he that the small detail of his food being cold went unnoticed. In short order he he polished off his burger and fries, sipping the soda on the way out the door before dropping it all into the convenient garbage (all save the tray, he hated it when people threw that away by mistake) and walking out the door to his awaiting car.

Hinoki checked underneath his car out of habit before he got in. As he got his phone back out he glanced at the two envelops in the passenger seat; the first thick one was titled by the National Security Agency, the other was much thinner and had a CIA seal on the top. Though consisting of only eight pages, he had to admit it was the more fascinating of the two, especially of what it implied.

He dialed and waited; only two rings in and he heard several clicks, followed by eight voices saying "Reporting" at once. He grinned.

"Kurosaka, you first" he commanded.

A perky female voice spoke up "Sir. I've looked over the report the Singaporean police sent over concerning the death of Kowit Nualkhair. Comparing the documents you lent me to both the evidence and the witness testimony, it's a close match" she reported. One of his subordinates cursed.

"Then it was a hit" he accused.

"Indeed. A few minutes I got an interesting phone call, it all but confirmed their guilt. My initial assessment of who to focus our efforts on was wrong" Hinoki said.

"It wasn't Kaspar?" another asked bafflingly.

"Not what I said. He has one of his own, and he does have the most to gain from this. My meaning was that the source of HCLI's special assets does not come from him" he clarified.

"Where do they get them anyway?" the first asked.

"Doesn't matter. What does matter is that Koko Hekmatyr has the most of them, as well as the largest single group of mercenaries in the game at present. Each one is dangerous in their own, together they are a formidable force" Hinoki stated.

"Then what's the plan sir?" Kurosaka asked.

With the intuition that came with decades of leadership, he knew the eight people on the secure party line were waiting for orders. He obliged them.

"Our original plan is now kaput. I've prepared a new operation, details will be emailed to you later. For the time being Kaspar can be considered the lesser threat. Pull back all of our primary assets, they'll be needed here. We'll assign one of our peripheries to take him out" he commanded.

"Sir, it'll take several days to recall all of our operatives" one subordinate pointed out.

"We're ghosts remember? We have the advantages of time and support" another one reminded.

"Exactly. We'll call this Operation KK. When we strike, we will catch them off guard. After all, we never attack head on. Secrecy, misdirection, and sabotage are our ways" Hinoki chuckled darkly.

"But sir, who do we send after Kaspar?" Kurosaka asked.

"I say Avalon. They've been in poor shape since we helped them out of that Seele fiasco. They should be able to handle that, and it'll keep them from trying to challenge us again. Best part is that either way, we don't lose anything important" one suggested.

"I concur. Get them to Jakarta, stat. Oh, and one more thing. Regarding the enemy's special assets, they are to be referred to in reports and communications as designation Oscar Whiskey, shortened to Whiskey in tight situations. Understood?" he checked, a series of affirmatives meeting him.

"HCLI sauntered into our territory, killed our people, and expected us to give up just because they asked?" Hinoki posed, hearing a ripple of snorts and laughs. He smirked.

"In three days, we will be ghosts no longer. Let us step out of the shadows and show these foolish upstarts who the real power is!" he declared. The roar of approval came out staticky to his ears, like his intentions.

* * *

 _That evening..._

" _Fuhk mah brutha_ " Koko droned on. In the nice hotel room, she sat by the window in one of the chairs. On the coffee table was a glass, and a rather large bottle of wine. Her favorite trio of headaches watched her apprehensively for an hour now, steadily gulping down the alcohol until about ten minutes ago. Since then her speech had become increasingly slurred.

"I agree, but why?" Jonah asked, with both Rock and Valmet glancing at him before turning back to her. The one eyed woman had the chair opposite of Koko, the girl was flopped over one of the beds (when questioned she claimed these ones were tolerable) while she surfed the local television networks, and the boy stood nearby watching the event.

"He picked a foit wit dese bastards and pulled me into it" Koko slurred, pouring herself another glass and splashing half of the red liquid into the table. Jonah reflected that at this point they had failed their set goal entirely; keeping Koko calm and collected, away from the stress.

"And where is Miami! Hasn't answered my calls...off collectin butterfies or seashells or some crap..." she didn't fall flat on her face onto the table, though it wasn't for a lack of trying.

"Okay, I think that's enough wine for one night" Valmet said carefully, plucking the bottle from her wobbling hands. Black Rock Shooter gave up on searching for entertainment, finally glancing over at the growing commotion. Noting their concern, she slid to her feet and grabbed her coat.

"Nonsense, I drink bettur when I think, no!" Koko wined, trying to keep her glass from being taken. For someone with Valmet's strength, it was harder to restrain her than to take the cup from Koko. She continued to struggle fruitlessly, muttering incomprehensible curses under her breath. Jonah raised a brow "Do you want-"

Koko's hand grabbed Valmet's breast, and they both froze.

"-help" he finished. Just as a weird smile began to creep up onto her, he turned to stride out the door, grabbing one of the girl's sleeves to half drag her out. The door slamming shut finally knocked the women out of paralysis.

"Um, Koko? I don't mind it when you touch my boobs, but you're starting to scare me" Valmet hesitantly admitted, a blush forming with the smaller woman's hands starting to knead the soft flesh. Though she found it hard to say no, a deep feeling of unease was taking hold.

Koko pounced, pushing the much larger woman off of her feet to fall onto the bed. Valmet yelped in surprise. If she hadn't tried that, there was no way Valmet would have ended up like this. A brief shake if her head cleared the hair from her vision, allowing her to see the grinning woman holding both of her arms while she straddled her.

"Um, Koko?" Valmet whimpered, fearing the worst. The next statement out of her mouth both terrified her and invigorated her in ways she never imagined would happen.

"Koko want nookie."

Outside, R and Lutz just completed their routine circuit when they saw their boss's room door swing open and two of their resident children dart out, one all but dragging the other behind him. Pausing just long enough to slam the door shut, Jonah sighed and released Black Rock Shooter's arm. She yanked her limb back, smoothing out the fabric and staring at him questionably.

"Er, Jonah?" R went first. The boy affixed them with a hard stare, at odds with his behavior just a few seconds earlier.

"Don't go in there" was all he said before he powered off. The two men watched his progress, utterly baffled. Upon looking back, their one remaining witness shrugged, looking no better than they were.

"What just happened?" Lutz asked.

A short ways down the hallway Jonah came to a stop, breathing deeply. Despite their perceptions of him, he knew exactly what was going on in that room. They forgot he spent years in an army unit; those faraway men were all too willing to educate him in the 'finer things' of life. He wanted no part in it, whether to watch or, God forbid, participate. For all the high regard he held Koko in, he knew beyond a shred of doubt that she would've tried. He made a mental note to prohibit alcohol for her from this point onwards.

Sounds of talking drifted to his ears. Curious, and with the immediate problem dealt with, he followed the sounds. As he drew closer, he recognized the voice as Wiley's. It was the studious droning that indicated he was trying to teach someone something. Jonah was wary of going further lest the larger man decided it was time for a lesson, but he was wondering who could be on the receiving end this time.

There was a conference room on this floor of the hotel, which they had unofficially claimed as their off-duty relaxation room. Using his stealth skills, Jonah creeped closer, carefully peeking around the open door. Inside was Wiley, as he suspected. But joining him was Ugo, Mao, Tojo, and Lehm. In the center of a rough circle was Dead Master in a chair. The bespectacled man had a small projector set up, and there was a dozen open books scattered around. He recoiled from his old enemy, but he was mystified at what was going on.

"And that concludes the SR Unit's purpose. Did you understand?" Wiley asked. From his position Jonah couldn't see Dead Master's expression, though judging from the frowns on Wiley and Tojo it wasn't hard to guess what it could be. The dots connected; he realized what the purpose of the room was.

A history lesson.

 _Hours earlier..._

"And that covers it. Any questions?" Tojo asked the eleven people, frowning at what he saw: boredom, sleepiness, and several yawns. Even after he simplified as much as possible and cut out most of the extraneous details, it apparently wasn't exciting enough.

All save one. She raised a black metal hand, her expression somewhere between confusion and irritation.

"Great, yes?" he asked (internally asking himself if giving her the claws back was a good idea). She lowered it and cleared her throat.

"Could you please explain everything you just said? I don't know about any of the stuff you were talking about" Dead Master asked him.

Tojo was quiet for a long span of time, uninterested in the worried looks he was receiving. Then, slowly and deliberately, he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose; to avoid screaming.

Jonah listened to all of it with half an ear; the flight was long, he hadn't slept the night before, and Tojo kept droning on. Nodding off now seemed like a good a time as any. Just as he started to, Black Rock Shooter elbowed him in the side, flashing a look of irritation his way. He just looked dryly at her, making no secret of his own irritation. In response she dug out her phone.

 _If i cant then neither can u_ , she stated.

* * *

"So" Dead Master hesitantly began, to the nodding heads of the five men.

"There are many countries in the world. Seventy years ago, the one we are in now, Japan, tried to conquer this section of the world. When they did, they attacked an American naval base, a navy being the term for bunches of big boats with big guns, at Pearl Harbor, which has no pearls. This caused a war, which is a massive organized series of fights between thousands of humans, between them. This was part of a larger war, World War Two, the first one is largely forgotten but for some reason isn't irrelevant. Japan lost, though not for the lack of trying. But, instead of destroying them all or claiming the area as part of their own realm, America helped rebuild Japan, making them their ally" she explained, moving her horned head around to the encouraging nods.

"Spying is the art of finding out as much about you enemy as possible, because, if you've ended up in a fair fight you've screwed up" Lehm grinned "Anyway, America had a lot of enemies during this 'Cold War' period, which didn't involve any direct fighting with their main enemy, the Soviet Union. Or was it China? Whatever. Some areas they couldn't go to, so they had their ally Japan go instead. And today, this SR Unit does its own thing, and you're fighting them now because now they're your enemy. But there hasn't been any actual face to face fighting yet, just snipping at each other. Is that all?" Dead Master asked. Three sighs and five nods answered her.

"That was a gross oversimplification to a level that I've never seen before, but that's the story. Now you know" Tojo congratulated. Mao even clapped a few times.

"I've realized something about you humans" she said.

"And that would be?" Wiley asked excitedly, leaning in a little in anticipation. The others were being far less obvious about it. She took a deep breath.

"You love overcomplicating things" Dead Master dissed.

A stunned silence greeted her.

Lehm chuckled sourly, making the dominos fall. Ugo dropped his face into his large palms. Mao ran his fingers through his thin hair, muttering curses. Tojo closed his eyes and took deep breaths. And Wiley just stared in utter shock, unable to grasp that the collective progress that humanity accomplished over time span of thousands of years, from early prehistory of cro-magnons to the ever more incredible present day, could be waved away so easily.

"You do realize that overcomplicating stuff is the reason you got your ass kicked, right?" Lehm asked dryly. A flicker of his eyes caught Jonah in his gaze.

"First, my ass was never kicked. Second, in the entire time I've been on this planet only one individual" she half snarled, ignorant of the subtle hand signals that compelled the boy into the room with them "Managed to battle me on even terms. I won that fight, even though that damn boy snatched victory from me. Why do you keep that terror around anyway?" Dead Master questioned, unaware of the boy closing in behind her.

"Oh, a variety of reasons" Lehm said wistfully, grinning and doing a poor job of hiding it. It was starting to spread to the others.

"Whatever. Huey kept going on about how dangerous you were and how careful we need to be. This whole time, I've seen no evidence that any of you are good fighters. In fact, other than that little explosion you're not dangerous at all. Apart from than that boy though. The next time I see him, I'll stand up to him and show him who's boss" she declared, stabbing a claw at them defiantly. Jonah coughed.

Dead Master froze, slowly swiveling her head and body around behind her. To her credit she maintained her composure, even if she was doing an excellent impression of a statue.

"You're the boss?" he asked.

Dead Master shrieked. Flailing her limbs around, she bolted from her seat to scramble away. Somewhere, anywhere. It didn't matter, so long as the one who had come so close to killing her was far away. Any sense of boisterousness was swept aside in an instant, her tripping over her own feet only made it worse. In the resultant chaos, Wiley and Jonah were the only ones to not break out in laughter. The latter because he simply didn't find it that amusing (though nothing stopped him from smiling a little), the former was still unable to believe that humanity's accomplishments meant so little to this girl.

In the hallway outside, Lutz, R and Black Rock Shooter exchanged glances, wondering what was going on.

* * *

 _Two days later..._

"She's still scared of him?" Koko asked tiredly, straightening out her suit. Lehm, clad in his normal wardrobe, shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea why. Sure, he did put a gun to her head after shooting her a few times, but c'mon. She keeps going on and on about how much of a badass she is and how much we're all wusses, but every single time he walks in, she shuts right up" he explained. She paused to check her phone; no new messages.

"I suppose thats a good thing. If she didn't fear any of us she might get bold enough to try something" Koko said, deciding that her outfit was good enough.

She had to block a yawn. Small wonder she was so tired, with the way her last couple of nights went. Surprisingly none of her men had any real objections to the new development. Were it some random stranger she imagined they would each put the muscle on in their own ways. Lutz with some sharpshooting, Wiley with explosives, or Ugo with just his bulk. She tried to imagine Black Rock Shooter or Jonah attempting to threaten someone; both would probably cut to the chase and draw weapons.

But instead, it was Valmet. They all knew her, they all trusted her. And each one had quietly had a word and offered congratulations. The closest thing to objection she heard came from Lehm of all people, and it went "Don't let your feelings affect your job" before he too patted her back. For her part Valmet was embarrassed, yet also happy. Not since after the incident in the desert had she seen her in such cheer. What made it better was the relief that someone was reciprocating the feelings, at long last.

Unfortunately all good things came to an end. The touristy excursions into the city, romps in a land they all knew was safe, and photo opportunities all had to stop. Today, she and her team would be leaving Japan. Kaspar had, from his location somewhere in Indonesia, had reported that the SR Unit was up to something. Apparently after visiting their stronghold he had walked away rebuffed, and was attempting another route. They were to join him in the Philippines next, going after a suspected operative.

"So, eat before we get on the plane or later?" Koko asked Lehm. He chuckled.

"If we go to a good place here that'll subtract a lot from our bonus here" he joked, which she smiled to.

"I know. Japan is such a great place, but damn it's pricy" she agreed.

With that, Koko left the kitchenette for the living room, Lehm close behind her. It was mostly empty, most of her men dispersing out for one more patrol before they left for good. The only ones remaining were Valmet and Black Rock Shooter, the former of which looked up from fitting her Magpul into her bag and smiled. She returned the favor. The latter was staring out the window, a thoughtful expression on her features.

Before she could ask the girl what the matter was, the phone on the nightstand began to ring. She exchanged a confused look with them before walking over to pick it up.

"Hello?" Koko said into the machine.

"Miss Hekmatyr?" asked the concierge in rough english "There is a guest waiting for a noon appointment, she would like to come up now." Koko frowned.

"Did this guest mention what appointment she had with me?" she asked carefully.

"Certainly. She is a businesswoman from Ganville Trading" Koko froze, for a second not entirely comprehending what she was hearing. She shook off her sudden worry and put her attention back in place before the concierge could say anything.

"Of course. Send her up right away" she said quickly before ending the call. Spinning around, she affixed each of them with a hard stare.

"Lehm, where's Tojo? Scratch that, where's everyone?" she questioned. His half smile vanished.

"Out for one more sightseeing trip nearby, they can be back in five minutes" he snapped out, rushing away for his weapon a moment later. Valmet abandoned her stealth attempt and yanked the Magpul Masada back out. Seeing the shift in atmosphere, Black Rock Shooter abandoned her post by the window to stride over. Oddly, she looked a little relieved.

"What's going on?" Valmet demanded.

"Unless I'm terminally deluded, there's an assassin on their way up right now" she tersely reported.

At that moment her door flew open, the pair in the door a heartbeat away from being sprayed with gunfire. It was R, with Jonah right behind him.

"I sense trouble" he posed.

"Hitman on his way up" Valmet reported, lowering the rifle. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed flashing multicolored light.

"Ah shit" R muttered. All the same he too took off to retrieve his rifle, while Jonah took his place.

"Female actually. Doesn't matter" she said to herself. Lehm returned cradling his rifle, R a couple of steps behind them.

"However" they paused in their sweeping of danger "There's a chance they're here for honest negotiations. We'll hold off on the gunfire until we know for sure. Okay?" she asked, though it wasn't a question.

"Roger" three of them chorused.

"The meeting room is where'll we'll meet. Just in case, get everyone back here and get the car prepped" Koko commanded. Four hands dove for their owners pockets, but they were beaten to it.

Black Rock Shooter snapped her fingers with her phone clenched between them, when they looked over she wagged it at them. Seeing as that was taken care of, the five began to scramble.

"Lose the cannon, don't want to intimidate them" Koko said to her. The odd girl frowned, lifting her weapon up to glance at it before she looked on plaintively to her. Koko sighed.

"I know you don't get to use it a lot. I'm just hoping this turns out well. Just in case though, keep it on dial. Or however you do it" she said instead. The girl nodded unhappily. Nevertheless the cannon dissolved into lights, and she strode after the leaving Valmet.

Precisely three minutes later the elevator door for their story of the hotel chimed and quietly slid open, revealing a smiling young japanese woman in a stylish yellow coat and thin green pants, with a classy looking leather belt around her waist, and a small briefcase to complete the ensemble. Greeting her silently was R and Lehm. The second was the first to notice what kind of smile the woman had: a cheshire, the same one that Koko adopted when she was most dangerous.

She stepped forward and lifted her hands out wide, expecting and subsequently allowing the two men to pat her down for weapons. None of them said a thing during the encounter. However, the entire time the search was going on her smile didn't vanish. On the contrary; once it was finished and they predictably came up empty handed, her smile seemed to grow several degrees.

"This way" R directed blandly, leading the woman away. Still silent and still smiling she followed, with Lehm behind her.

Only a short distance away they came to their destination, the meeting room. Once inside, she quickly surveyed the four people in the room, before stopping upon the closest and speaking for the first time.

"Hi there" she said friendly, crouching down to be eye level with the boy "What's your name?"

The woman stared intently at Jonah, making the boy feel uncomfortable. Sadly her behavior wasn't unexpected, and the quiet groans and eye rolls of the others let him know how they felt about it.

"You are just adorable" she cooed. Jonah said nothing, but he did deflect her wandering hands before she tried to get her hands on him. An insistent sound of a throat being cleared caught her attention, making her take her eyes off of the boy to a girl his age, one that looked bizarre to her. She recovered quickly to smile her way as well, noting first her appearance and second her annoyed expression.

"Ooh, I love your outfit. I love to cosplay in my spare time, care if I give you some tips?" she asked genially. The girl's scowl deepened, which she apparently disregarded. Another throat cleared for attention.

"Do you mind?" Koko questioned curtly from the couch. The woman rose back to her feet to walk to a chair that was sent up opposite of her without a word of complaint, setting her briefcase beside her. The smile went back to it's previous cheshire position.

Why'd she do that? Jonah thought, taking a spot just out of her sight. He had no way of knowing it, but Black Rock Shooter was asking herself the same question while she took a spot opposite him. She knew that women tended to do that around him, Koko did it every chance she got and she thought nothing of it. Why did she get annoyed at this stranger doing it then? Rock dismissed the questions and hoped that the woman turned out to be dangerous. She was feeling perturbed; killing someone might help.

"Good. Your name?" Koko questioned.

"I'm Kurosaka, of Ganville Trading. I apologize for arriving here with so little warning" the woman greeted. Koko nodded, smiling herself with hard eyes.

"Would I be mistaken in assuming that you're here as a negotiator?" she probed. Kurosaka nodded.

"There appears to be a misunderstanding between Ganville and HCLI, I'm here to sort things out" she explained.

"I believe you're talking to the wrong person. My brother Kaspar is far more knowledgeable about this dispute than myself, I was only called in for some advice" Koko said. The woman shook her head.

"That may be true. But we've been unable to get ahold of Kaspar. He appears to be busy with some other project" Kurosaka explained. Despite herself Koko raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Do you know why that is?" she asked.

"Unfortunately I do not. So, since he is unavailable, you are the most senior executive I can speak to. So please" she gestured empathetically. Koko sighed under her breath.

"Very well. Where would you like to start?" she began. Kurosaka nodded and turned to the briefcase beside her. She popped it open to root around inside, mindful of the eleven eyes watching her work. Out of curiosity Valmet stepped a few paces to the side in order to watch her work.

That move saved her life.

Without warning Kurosaka lunged, her hand drawing at her belt. Something clicked, and a length of shiny metal appeared like magic. Just a few feet was Koko, unable to react fast enough. Fast, so fast that it looked to be nothing but a shiny blur. But Valmet was faster. She threw herself forward, putting her broad shoulder between them.

The sharp edge bit deep into the hard flesh instead of it's intended victim. Barely a grunt escaped her lips as she pushed her arm aside to fling it away. Instead the wobbly blade was swing back with a snarl, the woman already in the middle of another strike. Valmet threw a kick her way; she darted out of the way and swung, barely avoiding the woman's leg.

By that point Lehm, R, and Jonah had guns out and were a blink away from ventilating her. Kurosaka realized this, for a brief second unsure of how to proceed. Escape, or keep trying to kill her? She never found out, for the next second a flickering sword intercepted her own and snapped it in half. Seeing an opening, Valmet drew back and delivered as hard as a punch as she could manage from her left hand. For some reason her right wasn't functioning properly.

Kurosaka was knocked off of her feet to crash against the carpeted floor. Oddly, she was feeling quite lucid. Lucid enough to notice three handguns moving to point at her torso with fingers on their respective triggers. From the cosplay girl she saw a short sword that she was sure wasn't there when she walked in. As she watched mesmerizing lights danced down her arm, transforming into black metal before her eyes. Just a couple of seconds and there was the same cannon she saw in several photographs at that point.

One second passed. Then two. Then three. By second four a feeling of confusion began to fill her mind. When second eight came around Kurosaka comprehended what was going to happen. Her training covered such situations, though most of it failed to address the insignificant detail of imminent death. When the pale woman that should be dead walked into her bleary view she made up her mind on how she was going to behave. It was this reason that she affixed a friendly smile on in greeting.

"Whoopsie. I really thought that would work" Kurosaka said cheerfully. Part of her vision cleared, letting her see that her attack wasn't a total failure. Just in sight she saw the one eyed woman clutched her limp arm, blood freely dripping between her tight fingers on her bicep.

"I bet. How many others?" Koko demanded. She shrugged.

"A lot" she said simply.

"Entry points?" the greying man questioned.

"Where they feel like" Koko sputtered out a sigh and rubbed between her eyes.

"Fuck it. Grab your guns, we're getting out of here" without a word the two men and the boy dispersed, the latter going to help the woman. For the briefest second Kurosaka held hope she would somehow escape this FUBAR situation alive. Koko let go and glanced contemptuously at her.

"Rock" she said simply. The pigtailed girl in the neat outfit smirked and put the end of the cannon above her face. A second later it glowed with beautiful blue light. The next second it discharged.

Koko's phone went off just as she found the first aid kit. Grumbling a curse she plucked it out and nestled it on her shoulder to free her hands to dig into it.

"Yes?" she snapped. The voice on the other end sighed in relief.

"You okay boss?" Ugo questioned tightly. She blinked, pausing for a second.

"I'm fine. An assassin tried to get me, Valmet's hurt. Wherever you guys are you better be careful.

"Shit. Some guys in heavy duty gear jumped us" he reported tersely. Again she froze, her eyes going wide. Seeing her distress Valmet frantically directed Jonah away to her.

"Anyone hurt!?" Koko demanded. Lehm and R darted back into the room, rifles at the ready and worried expressions on their features.

"We're fine. Listen, Tojo says it's the SR Unit. There should be between thirty to fifty operatives in total. We got five here, but who knows how many they're sending after you" he reported.

Koko gulped down her fear and put her thoughts into action.

"If they're hitting us in the open like this then it means that stealth isn't an option anymore. Don't try to come for us here, head to point charlie. Weapons free, try to keep collateral to a minimum" she commanded. Ugo was silent for a second; she essentially just gave them free reign to do whatever they needed to do, consequences be damned.

"Will do. Be careful Koko" he said tersely.

"Same to you. See you there, all of you" she insisted before hanging up the phone.

She looked over her five bodyguards, forcing a smile on.

"Alright. This means war."

* * *

 **A/N: Warning, there's some smut in this chapter. Wait, wasn't this supposed to go at the top?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Due to a certain holiday here in 'MuricaLand, I was able to get this chapter out a day earlier than I expected. Hurray I guess. Also the longest chapter I've done yet.**

* * *

"Will do. Be careful Koko" Ugo listened for a few seconds more before he ended the call. He lowered the phone to look to the others, a grim look on his face.

"What's the word?" Lutz asked first, keeping one finger near the Magpul's trigger.

"They got attacked too. Valmet is injured, the rest are fine. She says weapons free, try to keep collateral down. Charlie point is our rally location" he reported, looking over the four others in sight with him. Each (save one) shared the same grim determination he felt. The exception wasn't paying attention to him; she was too busy examining her new 'plaything' as she put it.

The fact was that Ugo hadn't told Koko the entire truth. They were jumped by commando types, five of them, while the five bodyguards and their guest were stopping at a local sushi restaurant for some chow before they bade farewell to Japan for the foreseeable future. It was by Wiley's insistence that they left their rifles in the car, but kept their new SIGs on hand, just in case. It turned them from fast reacting targets to active threats when a van burst through the glass door with barely seconds of warning and started to spill out men. It was by pure chance that only a few other people were in there with them.

The falsehood came from the implication that the hitmen were all dead. It was mostly true: four bullet ridden bodies were spread out on the nice hardwood floor, dripping blood. What made it false was the one survivor. One man who had the misfortune to be closest to their guest, and subsequently chose to attack her. Out of five of them, he alone lived. Though if his current treatment continued, he would be begging to join his friends.

Tojo came out from the backroom that the restaurant owners and the few other customers took cover in, sighing in relief "Good news, everyone back there is fine. Shaken up admittedly, but okay. The owner threatened to sue us" he chuckled, bringing out the first sign of mirth in ten minutes. Not for the first time they spared an apprehensive look at their guest.

"Love to see them try. Anyway, Koko's okay, Valmets hurt but she'll be fine, and were meeting at point charlie" Wiley recounted to him. He nodded grimly.

"We should assume the SR Unit are going to hound us the whole way" he said to them.

"Think we should interrogate our prisoner?" Lutz asked carefully, sparing another look Mao's way. The poor man got the short straw in the brief game, getting the 'privilege' of keeping an eye on their psychopathic guest and to make sure her plaything wasn't hurt too badly.

Slithering chains softly rattled incessantly, trailing out of her sleeve up to the ceiling to drape themselves off of a large light fixture. It turned out to be surprisingly durable, able to carry the two hundred or so pounds of her victim after she captured him and she decided to string him up. Not only that, it even kept the lights on when she double wrapped it around to let her slacken up enough to leave her arm free. The upside down man still had his ski mask on, his exposed eyes blazing with terror. Despite that he was silent. His new master's lesson was explicit.

"Yeah, I don't think we're getting anything out of him" Mao commented nervously, keeping the rifle he retrieved from their car mostly pointed at the commando, and not at all pointed at Dead Master. The horned girl in question grinned, not helping his mood at all.

"He is a wonderful specimen. I would love to see how much he can take" she said dangerously. Her victim, bound in chains (done so in a suspicious resemblance to a spider cocoon), whimpered.

"...Definitely not getting anything out of him" Mao amended.

Lutz groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"Guys, we're wasting time here" he reminded. The four other men picked up, straightening up their stance.

"He's right. Lets do our best to keep track of our kills though. When I left there was thirty three other operatives. That was years ago, but Hinoki has pretty high standards. There can't be more than fifty in total, and I can't imagine he'd bring everyone back here" Tojo explained, a reminder from earlier.

"Sounds like a plan. C'mon, point charlie awaits" Ugo urged.

They started to move to the door (the van still blocked the new entranceway) but paused. As the closest it fell upon Mao to take care of the problem.

"Um, hey. We gotta go" he said carefully to her. Dead Master turned away from running her claws on his terror stricken face to look at him irritably.

"I'm in the middle of something. Can it wait?" she questioned sternly.

"No. We have to leave" he said to no avail. Sighing, he turned to the carrot.

"There's plenty others where he came from" Mao offered. The few stray strands of chain paused.

"How many others?" Dead Master asked unseemly. He unconsciously gulped.

"Bare minimum, twenty seven" he answered.

She said nothing, but the next second the chains loosened. The victim unceremoniously dropped to the floor and crumpled, hurt but alive.

"Very well" as he watched the thin chains slithered back up her arm, disappearing in seconds "Lets go" she said easily, cheerfully striding past him. Mao spared one more look at the commando, who had circled up into a ball and began to whimper. He shuddered.

* * *

"How many hostiles?" R asked first, pointing the rifle at the door alongside Jonah. The six assembled in the room were almost ready to depart, they just needed to pick up the rest of their equipment first.

"She didn't say" Valmet said grimly, looking at the assassin's body. Kurosaka was still mostly intact, except for her head. The blackened hole in the floor was something she refused to look at further.

"Lets assume a lot. I'm tango prime after all" Koko said from beside her.

"Enough chitchat" Lehm commanded. He gently brushed past the two women, heading to the door to place a hand on the knob.

"Alright, lets be careful for this everyone. Check your corners, watch for traps, and for gods sake don't get shot. Hospitals here are crazy expensive" only a thin smile let on that it was a joke.

Lehm swung the door open, the barrel of his Magpul Masada already scanning for targets. Finding none, he waved them on behind him and took off in a fast walk. As per agreement, Black Rock Shooter had her cannon up behind him (being careful to keep it aimed away from him) while Valmet shadowed a strangely confident Koko. Instead of keeping herself low she walked talk and proud, regardless of the danger. Lastly R and Jonah looked behind them as much as they looked forward. Four rifles and one cannon swept around, never lingering on one spot for more than a second.

The one eyed woman gave her an uncertain glance, especially with her current injury hampering her. She could hold her rifle in her left hand easily enough, and if push came to shove she could use her right. The problem was the extensive pain that came about whenever she moved her arm. Simple and necessary actions, such as reloading or aiming properly, were going to be difficult.

"So, whatever happened to the ghosts I wonder? Outright assaults aren't part of the SR Unit's playbook" Koko wondered aloud. The girl was the only one to send a hostile glare her way, though the feeling was far from alone.

"Koko? Dangerous situation?" Valmet reminded. She chuckled.

"I know. Just a tad irritated. If we get out of this I'm going to slap Tojo" she vowed.

When they were close to a T-corner Lehm suddenly stopped, holding up a hand to the group and gesturing to the wall; he didn't need to look to know that the others had pressed themselves against it. Poking around the corner was a small black object he knew well. He thought for a moment on the best way to approach the problem ahead of them, going over different ideas. When an imaginary lightbulb lit up he knew he had his answer.

"Rock" he said softly, waving the girl beside him.

"There's a bunch of guys right there. You want to take them?" he turned to ask. Black Rock Shooter's mostly blank expression morphed into a grin.

"Good. Hang on just a sec" turning back, he almost missed his chance. The barrel of the M4 was completely in view, no more than a couple of seconds would be needed for its owner to have a clear line of sight on them. He squeezed off a burst, aiming for the wall beside the man instead of him. A muffled curse escaped the man as he darted back around the corner. Lehm smirked.

"Have fun" he invited.

The commando in question had turned to his six compatriots and held up his hand, making hand signals that would tell them all they thought they needed to know. As it turned out, it wasn't enough.

Black Rock Shooter ran, brushing past the older man in a blink of an eye. She cleared the floor for less than a second, coming up to rebound off the wall, towards her prey. Closing in, she slashed the black sword across his torso and let a bolt loose into the chest of the one behind him, both falling within milliseconds of each other. The others were shocked, but they reacted quickly, bringing their rifles up. Not fast enough, since the next one was backhanded by the weight of her cannon into the wall.

Several shots boomed, deafening in the enclosed space. The fifth she cut along his legs before slashing at his throat. A bullet whizzed past her ear, uncomfortably close. She wondered if she was getting rusty while she ran the point of her sword through the last man's chest, twisting it to kill him quicker. For some reason she needed to push much harder than normal; it was like something was in the way. With more force she broke through the weird barrier and the blade slid in just as easily as she expected. A second quick twist for good measure, then a hard kick to dislodge the weapon from his flailing body.

Black Rock Shooter paused, senses alert for any movement. It was by this action alone that she was able to whip herself around in time, cannon up and charging. A single gunshot, much less impressive than the handful of rifle shots that already peppered the walls, rang out. She realized it was the second man she targeted, some smoke still wafting from his charred torso. In his hands was a handgun, pointed at her. The new charge was aimed at his head this time, taking it clean off, and he collapsed back to the floor. To make sure she edged closer and kicked his corpse to see if it would respond again. This time it stayed down.

Lehm poked around the corner a few seconds later, lowering his rifle a few seconds after he made sure there was no one else moving. He quietly whistled.

"Warn me when you go postal" he joked. Noticing her position and the locations of the bodies he bent over to check the headless corpse for something.

"Huh. Military grade body armor" he commented before standing back up. He glanced back to her, discovering she had a confused frown.

"I remember Wiley saying...never mind, not important. Anyway, lets get a move on" he urged. He brought the weapon back up and came down the hallway, stepping carefully to avoid the blood and bodies. Black Rock Shooter stayed put for a moment to take stock of the others, making sure the suddenly uneasy people she worked with were alright. Jonah paused for a second to look at something on her.

"There's a hole in your coat" he said before moving on. Frowning, she checked herself over, discovering that there was a new frayed hole from the gunshot through the bottom part of her jacket. She scowled before darting after them.

* * *

No one wanted Dead Master seated by herself and out of sight. Given her uncertain loyalties and open disdain for the bodyguard detail, it was deemed prudent early on to make sure she always had at least one person keeping an eye on her to discourage ideas such as running or killing anyone. It was because of this necessary agreement that Mao, Ugo, and Lutz went to the first HCLI car with her while Tojo and Wiley had to 'requisition' a civilian car to insure they weren't one large target for any anti-tank weapons the SR Unit might have.

The latter kept looking around them, silently fuming at their lack of anything heavier than rifle ammunition. Not even that powerful of ammunition; a 5.56mm x 45mm round was a perfectly serviceable bullet, provided they had equipment to supplement it. Grenades would have been nice, Lutz's sniper rifle even better, and an AT-4 or two would've been perfect. But alas, they left their heavier ordinance behind for this trip. Japan was a safe country, and the SR Unit never attacked head on. Tojo snorted.

"Anything?" Wiley questioned tightly.

"Negative. Just thinking" he answered in kind.

"I know. This caught us all off guard" he replied. One thing they did bring (or to be accurate Lutz did, though he could not remember why) was their radio headsets. They even had a spare for the horned girl surprisingly enough. No matter the reason for the forgotten decision, they were glad to have them. When both the mens's sets crackled, they were both thankful and on edge.

"Roads blocked off by some police" Ugo reported "I can take a detour, but it'll cost us about ten or fifteen minutes" he said tightly. One by one they gave their answers:

"Drive."

"Just drive man."

"Its a trick, just keep going."

"What does ninety kay-pee-ach mean?"

"We need to hurry."

"Do it."

Ugo smiled "Then hang on. See if you can keep up Wiley."

His foot mashed the accelerator. The SUV surged, powering forwards with increasing speed. The two traffic officers tried futilely to stop the roaring vehicle, but there was little they could do to stop it. Ugo was careful enough to make sure that the two were clear first before he blew through the paper thin barricade, denting the grill with the metal dividers and sending them flying. Wiley and Tojo's 'borrowed' sedan that followed at a similar speed was just rubbing salt the wound. One of the traffic cops screamed and waved his fist at the fleeing convoy. Lutz and Mao chuckled evilly.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say we're bad guys" the former commented.

"What makes you think we aren't?" Wiley asked devilishly, to which a round of chuckles rang out. A certain voice that cleared her throat put an end to that however.

"Where is this point charlie? I believe no one told me" Dead Master said irritably.

"Umihotaru. It's a large resort slash shopping mall on the ocean" Tojo answered. He didn't need to see to know she had shivered at the mention of water.

"Wait, I thought it was the airport?" Lutz asked.

"Point bravo. We'll probably head there once we regroup" Mao offered.

Wiley glanced into the rearview mirror as a reflex. A second later he did a double take.

"Guys, we got company" he warned. Three of the men immediately looked into the mirrors, the last twisted around to look out the back window.

"I count two" Tojo reported. Dead Master looked around, utterly confused.

* * *

One look at the heavily armed party that stormed their way out of the emergency stairway convinced the receptionist and the few employees present in the lobby that staying out in the open was a terrible idea, so they took cover under or behind anything that could hide them. As he hustled through the now empty area Jonah thought their decision was cowardly, yet he couldn't think of any practical alternative. If nothing else it made getting Koko out of there easier.

"Car still out front?" R asked tightly, sweeping his rifle around. It was the upcoming part that had him the most nervous; being out in the open with no cover against a foe determined to kill his boss (and by extension him).

"Last I checked yes. Ugo took the other SUV" Valmet answered in kind, looking for danger around Koko as much as she watched ahead.

Their stroke of good fortune lasted until they were out the door, with the bland looking and heavily armored grey SUV waiting by the curb for when they left. R was the first to take notice.

"Company" he announced loudly. Nearly as one they looked in the direction he was looking, discovering a pair of black sedans waiting nearby.

"Move it!" Lehm commanded.

The driver of the first gunned his engine and roared off. The crew didn't waste time, they darted to the car with all due haste. All save Black Rock Shooter, who took a second to fire off a blue bolt at the vehicle before running as well. Though it didn't hit, the shot did cause the hostile car to swerve out of the way. She decided to count that as a good call before she dove into the waiting door, dismissing her cannon along the way.

Behind the wheel was R, with Lehm in the passenger seat. In the backseat Valmet had one window while she claimed the other. Koko was nestled between them, and Jonah had taken the bed as his own. Bullets dinged off the side seconds before he started the engine and put it in drive, making the entire party lurch.

"Learn to drive damnit!" Valmet snarled. Black Rock Shooter grabbed ahold of the the seat to steady herself, without much success. She glanced into the back to see how the boy was doing, finding him hunched up against the back and hanging onto the backseat for dear life. With the powerful forces that were throwing them to and fro, it seemed like a sensible decision.

More gunfire pinged off the side and back, making them reflexively duck down. Black Rock Shooter chanced a look out her window, only to discover one of the enemy cars closing in beside them. From the top of it the torso of a man struggled into view, likely from a sunroof. How he got there was irrelevant in any case. What was important was the large machine gun he squeezed up with him.

"Well damn. An ef-en minimi" Koko commented, sounding resentful

Valmet didn't wait. She rolled down the window and stuck her Magpul out, mashing down the trigger once she has it where she wanted it. The gunfire streaked towards the hostile car, pinging off the hood. Instead of punching through, it simply bounced off. She swore loudly. The gunner did duck down though, buying them a little bit of time. Even though it wasn't hurting it, she kept on the pressure.

Black Rock Shooter set her features and decided to join her. She too rolled her window down and stuck her arm out, forming the cannon once there was enough room for it. When the car tried to swerve out of the way of Valmet's fire, it entered hers. A blue bolt raced out and smashed against the windshield, splashing against the armored glass. Her attack did have more effect, but not as much as she hoped. The driver slammed on his brakes, bringing the screeching vehicle down out of the chase.

The other car immediately took its place. This one learned from his comrades mistake, staying on the side of the conventional gunfire. Lehm joined in, firing in bursts at the driver's window. Like the other, it was having little effect save keeping the gunner down and not firing. It was a stalemate that couldn't be kept up. Sooner or later, one or the other had to give. Koko had the unhappy feeling it was going to be her.

* * *

"Guys, get in front of us. Our armor should hold out" Ugo commanded from the first car. His SUV slowed down a few notches, giving them a chance while the SR cars were still catching up.

"Rodger, hang on" Wiley stomped on the accelerator, making the civilian car whine. To his dismay they weren't passing the car with any sort of speed. They just passed their bumper when the gunfire began, a few shots making its way into their car. Tojo ducked down, swearing creative obscenities at their attackers. After a few seconds the bullets tapered off, though the roar of hostile machine gun fire, distinctive even over the two cars's engines, remained.

Lutz and Mao leaned out if their windows and returned fire from their Magpuls. The stream of gunfire sparked off the cars, doing little to stop the enemy. Worse yet, the second car was pulling up as well. Tojo stuck the top of his torso out the car with his own rifle to help, with Wiley doing his best to stay in a good enough spot to make his task easier. It wasn't much help, but it did force the gunners to be cautious.

The entire time, Dead Master sat in her seat and fumed. She was furious, primarily at being shanghaied into a life or death situation with zero regard to her own wishes. It was unlikely that these attackers would make a distinction between her and them. Silently she cursed the humans for all of her troubles, regardless of her level of blame for the current circumstances. Mao was too busy to notice her hostile frown.

However, she was also angry for another reason. Death was coming for them, and all she could do was sit and watch. It was the utter helplessness of the situation that was truly riling her up, the frustration of staying put when she could do something, should do something. It angered her on a primal level, going against every instinct that wanted her to take control of her own destiny. If Dead Master was to die, she demanded it on her own terms. Yet they disliked her too much to allow it.

An epiphany hit her: if she stepped in to stop the attackers (she amended it to helping the men stop them) then they wouldn't hate her so much. They implicitly trusted Black Rock Shooter, perhaps she could earn their trust as well? Even if it didn't work, it beat sitting still and waiting for them to take care of this SR Unit with their own pathetic abilities. Dead Master's frown shifted into a vicious smile at the plan.

She unclipped her seatbelt and rolled down the window. It took them a moment to notice, though she was making little attempt to be subtle.

"The hell do you think you're doing!?" Lutz snarled, struggling to get the rifle maneuvered in the tight space.

"I'm going to help" Dead Master proclaimed. In spite of the stressful circumstances Ugo jerked his head her way in astonishment.

"Seriously!?" he exclaimed.

"You better not try anything!" Lutz threatened. She smirked, in time for Mao to duck back in to reload.

"Just sit back and watch" Dead Master boasted.

"What's going on?" he asked in confusion.

She didn't answer him. Her hand was stuck out the window, heedless of the gunfire that continued to pepper the car. In the minds of the three men the same question echoed: what was she was up to that could help? Mao was the first to get the answer, when a length of chain slid over the top of the window and crawled back to her. Once it reached it repeated the process before tying itself into a tidy knot.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lutz questioned, angry and confused.

"I've done this before, don't worry" Dead Master said condescendingly. He scowled, strongly tempted to shot into the backseat and blame it on the SR Unit.

With a flourish she nodded happily, giving the chains an experimental yank for tightness. Then in one smooth motion she rapidly slid out of her seat and out the window. The chains rattled again, taunt under her weight. Another chain flew over the front, smacking against the windshield to startle the men. That one started loose but it soon tightened as it wrapped around the front bumper.

"Wiley, Tojo, the hell is she doing?" Lutz questioned into his mike. Tojo only swear softly in amazement. Wiley found it hard to keep his eyes on the road.

Dead Master stayed crouched down on the roof, grinning evilly. With three support lines she was as stable as could be, keeping her centered in defiance of the momentum that constantly threatened to take her off. She learned this from the last time she tried to ride atop a car during a chase. The stunned silence from her radio made it all the better, but what truly made it worth it was the hostile vehicles ceasing fire. Behind their own tinted windshield she was certain she saw their eyes bulge. A line from an ad she saw online occurred to Dead Master. She didn't know entirely what it meant, but it sounded menacing.

" _Time to reap_ " she tried to say darkly, but the streaming wind drowned out her words. With an ignored growl she shook it off to focus on the hostile cars. She consoled herself by remembering another simple line from her forays online: actions spoke louder than words.

Glowing motes of lights appeared in her armored palms. Dead Master threw both of her hands out in a way similar to throwing away garbage in her hands, the lights ballooning in size the moment they cleared her. While she looked at ease, in truth keeping everything at the exact point she needed it to be was taking most of her concentration. Her plan hinged on the surprise factor, revealing her trick too early would end badly.

The lights morphed into the traditional black metal, constructed to mock a human skull. Twins they were, zooming backwards a little slower than the car despite her best efforts otherwise. Both had their grinning nightmare of a visage pointed at the chasing cars. Her intent was made clear just in time to be too late for them to stop it. Two machine guns opened up once again, this time fixated on the skulls.

Dead Master flicked one of her hands their way.

The first skull flew out, zooming by at incredible speed towards them. He tried to swerve out of the way, but it changed course mid flight to intercept him. It hid almost in the middle of the SUV's grill, a ton of fast metal meeting two hundred pounds of the same moving in the opposite direction. The front of the car crumpled and fell forward, while the back wanted to keep going. It resulted in flipping the entire vehicle, spilling the flailing gunner out to briefly fly before he hit the pavement at eighty miles per hour. She watched intently as it spun, the back bumper smashing onto the road before it bounced again to right itself. A veritable cloud of debris, plastic, metal, and other stuff left the wreckage to go on in it's place.

She turned her attention to the other car, and smiled. This one tried to exit the situation before they suffered the same fate, but she wasn't going to let them. A flick of her other wrist and the second skull pursued it's target, not dissimilar to a missile. It impacted the car on the fender instead when the driver tried to slam on the brakes. The impact knocked the front to the side, throwing it off balance without stopping it's momentum. Similar to the first, it began to cartwheel.

To her it was even more amazing than the first. The large black SUV began to roll, sending bits flying in every direction as it tumbled in a circle. Dead Master tried to watch the few humans suffer their fate, but it happened too fast for her to see. In a few seconds it slowed down enough that they pulled away, leaving the two wrecks far behind them, vanishing entirely around a bend in a short time. She scowled.

When she shook her horned head, she finally noticed a strange warmth trailing down her arm. Curious to what it could be, she inspected her limb to see what it was. What it was surprised her; her own blood that leaked from a large but shallow gash on her shoulder. Dead Master put her claws on it for pressure, feeling pain race out. Compared to having her face pummeled into the asphalt it was inconsequential, but the very fact that she didn't notice right away disquieted her.

"Shit" Mao murmured through the headset. Tojo took a deep breath to steady his nerves before he spoke.

"This. Is. Bullshit" he enunciated.

"I agree. But for right now, let's count our blessings. I'd bet my last paycheck Koko's in trouble as we speak" Wiley said.

"Agreed. Devil girl, get back in here" Ugo commanded.

* * *

Jonah waited for his opportunity, quietly hoping that he would live long enough for it to pass. Though the ever increasing volume of gunfire steadily chewing through their armor made it seem more and more remote. Lehm and Valmet did their best to keep the enemy pinned down, and neither of them wanted to chance facing off against Black Rock Shooter's cannon again. In order to stop permanently however, his timing had to be perfect. A second too early or too late would ruin his chances.

R kept the car in the far lane, trying to force the drivers to abandon the two rifles on the passenger side and get them within the girl's firing lane. Even if it couldn't destroy the car, a single blast at a tire or the windshield could unbalance them enough to make them spin out of control. They were smart though, continually keeping close to stop him from doing it. The constant patter of gunfire was slowly pushing the six to madness. So much so that when Koko snatched R's rifle away he didn't say a word of protest. Valmet wasn't so apathetic.

"What're you doing!?" she demanded angrily, taking her attention off of suppression.

"A plan to put an end to this crap" Koko answered darkly. Valmet tried to take the rifle away from her, but an ill timed burst of gunfire came perilously close to her head, forcing her to go back to firing at the hostiles.

Koko smiled viscously, tapping on the girl's shoulder for her attention.

"Get to the back. When I give the signal open up with everything you got" she commanded. Black Rock Shooter needed only one look at her face to recognize what was going through her mind. What she had planned was likely audacious and foolish in equal quantities, just the thing she loved to pull off. She gave a thin smile in response before dismissing her cannon and crawling over the seat.

R was slowly winning the fight, he could tell just by looking in the rearview mirror. The first car kept trying to edge away, but he missed his chance. He was left to either face the back or risk the cannon. For now the enemy kept to the former option, but that left the other car without a viable firing angle. That risked having them being ground away via attrition. Sooner or later, they had to face the danger.

Seeing that the point of no return was approaching, Koko shoved R's rifle over the backseat and attempted to crawl over herself. However, she wasn't as spry or as small as the children. To her infinite embarrassment, she got caught on the top halfway through. Her cheeks flushed red when she realized that R would see her skirted rear sticking out in plain view of the mirror. Seeing her predicament Jonah and Black Rock Shooter grabbed her hands to tug her over. When a hand touched her bum she half growled a threat.

"You're getting a pay cut for this" she warned.

"But I thought you liked this" Valmet said playfully.

"In which case I have to punish you by other means" she said without missing a beat.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like you need punishment for being so shameless" she countered.

Hardly audible over the patted of gunfire was an annoyed pair of snorts.

"Can you please flirt some other time? I need to see out the back window sometime soon" R complained.

"Look, Koko, I'm happy for you and all, but please, get your ass out of the way" Lehm groaned. With a simultaneous pull and push she tumbled gracelessly into the back, mashing her face against the fortunately carpeted back.

"Both of you get pay cuts" she called out.

"If we live then I'll complain about it" the latter bemoaned. Both she and Valmet giggled like schoolchildren. The pigtailed girl looked askance at the boy, who shrugged in response.

A piece of the armored glass exploded out, spraying tiny fragments over the trio. It didn't hurt anybody, it only warned them that the armor wasn't going to last much longer.

"Have to take the corner, hang on!" R called out. The five passengers braced as best they could, only one of them grinning.

Despite the warning everyone in the back was almost sent tumbling anyway, only a death grip on anything that could hold them prevented them from moving more than a few inches.

"This is it! Pop the back!" Koko shouted. Valmet pointed her rifle over the back in seconds while R clicked an unused button on the bottom section of the dashboard. An unnoticed click went off, followed by the automatic latches that forced the only barrier between them and the swarm of bullets away.

Three of the four were ready. Both Koko and Valmet opened fire, while lights danced out from Black Rock Shooter. Jonah saw the problem before they did: the SR Unit gunner already had his machine gun trained on them. He didn't need to look to know that their return fire was scattered, meant for nothing but suppression. The girl's largest weapon was seconds away from being complete, seconds more to shoot. Time they didn't have. In the meantime all the gunner had to do was accept the danger, and shoot.

Time seemed to slow down for Jonah. He recognized it for what it was, an adrenaline rush. All that changed was his perception of time, no more. But he had to admit, he never had an effect this pronounced. Watching the scenery in his peripheral vision showed it to be almost still, and he swore he saw a glint of a bullet in flight.

He dismissed the unimportant to focus on one thing. Even from forty feet away, he could pick out details on the face of the japanese man's face. Anger, stress, and frustration were all identified. He was a human being, with hopes and dreams. Perhaps even a family. Would someone mourn his passing? In the end though, it didn't matter. Jonah did what he had to do, the thing he was best at. It was why he was here after all.

Jonah lined up the iron sights of his Magpul Masada, pitting the tiny marker between his eyes, and pulled the trigger.

The finely crafted weapon, a design refined over decades of testing and research, did it's duty. It feebly kicked in his grip, the recoil pathetically easy to accommodate. Compared to his old FNC or the Kalashnikov he trained with, it was barely worth mentioning. The bullet went exactly where he wanted it to go, impacting the man and jerking him back in his perch. He died instantly.

Time speeded back up to normal after that. He took a deep breath of the cordite laced air to steady himself, keeping the customary post-adrenaline shakes at bay. It took the driver a few seconds to notice that his shooter was dead; by the time he could change course it was already too late. Jonah's action bough a few seconds of time, long enough for the weight of the heavy weapon to settle in and cause the suspension to sag a little.

A thin whine was the warning his ears received before she began, as the three interlocked barrels began to ominously spin. Blue bolts of light spat out of the end of the weapon, so many that he couldn't tell where they began or ended. Normally she sprayed wildly, relying on volume to make sure she hit something. This time however, the target was caught by surprise, and failed to evade.

They poured into the armored SUV, shortly tearing through the thick bullet resistant armor. Whereas one shot had little effect beyond scorching a spot, a torrent of them could burn through easily. When the armor finally gave out the shots punched through the engine, shredding it beyond repair. A few bolts even managed to go past it, into the cabin to skewer the people inside. It weaved one direction before turning the other, veering to smash into a building. Thinking with clinical detachment, Jonah noted this was the first time she used the minigun with any success.

Black Rock Shooter paused firing just long enough to aim her cannon at the other vehicle, who had kept on the same path as before, neither evading or shooting. Considering the display they just witnessed, he couldn't exactly blame them. Once the deluge of azure firepower began to shower them they reacted quickly, swerving out of her narrow field of view. In the process the black SUV ran over a curb, and when the driver tried to correct he hit a signpost and crumpled the vehicle. They didn't stay around to confirm if they survived or not.

R took the opportunity to get on the highway exit. Jonah reached up to grab ahold of the handle to drag the door back down, silent and unresponsive as ever.

"Damn. I mean, damn" Valmet said at last. Koko sputtered out a sigh.

"I know. Ugo is going to flip when he see's the state of the car" she commented. R quietly coughed.

"I think the car is kinda irrelevant right now" he politely countered.

"Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but there's still some remaining at this point" Lehm reminded. He glanced into the mirror and frowned.

"Speak of the devil" he muttered. Jonah and Black Rock Shooter looked backwards, out the spider web of cracked glass. Koko turned around and expression the sentiment they were all feeling to one degree or another.

"Well crap" she muttered. A large white moving truck barreled down the road towards them, more than likely coated in armor and filled with armed men.

Jonah thought she would've used a few choice expletives instead; perhaps she wanted to conserve them for more important things to worry about, or she was concerned for the innocent minds next to her. The same train of thought circled in his mind, a tired repetition that failed to have any effect at this point. They were both killers, he just murdered a man, she wasn't human, she couldn't speak, she had a armory she could pull out of nowhere, she was weird looking anyway, not that he minded-

He stopped himself, wondering where that came from. Fortunately for his sake Koko mistook his twitch for nervousness, and she reassured him by putting a steady hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll figure this out" she soothed. The girl frowned, moving to the side for a better view. Valmet stuck her head out the window, her features hardening a moment later.

"There's two other vehicles beside that one" she reported.

Not even Koko's omnipresent smile could dampen the glumness that now pervaded the SUV. They were tired, low on ammo, and in a damaged car; what chance did they have against three new foes? It wasn't until Lehm looked closely in the rearview mirror again did he suddenly pick up in surprise. When he began to grin wildly R gave him a suspicious look, wondering if he finally lost it.

None of them got the chance to ask the obvious. Tiny pops indicated faraway gunfire, coming from the same direction as the three vehicles. As they watched something flew out from one to impact against the larger truck, making it sway back and forth. Finally it went too far and fell on it's side, crashing into the road and sliding along for a short distance. Seconds later Koko's phone buzzed. Silently she pulled it out to click the call icon.

"Koko, you guys alright?" Lutz demanded. Both cars pulled up to them, one a civilian sedan, the other an HCLI owned vehicle, both pockmarked with innumerable holes. Visible through their respective windshields were familiar faces, all looking on with worry.

She inhaled deeply, expelling the breath slowly.

"We're fine. You guys?" she asked quickly.

"Good to hear. We're all okay here. Dead Master has a cut on her arm but it's nothing serious. An hour or two and it'll be gone" he reported. Deep exhaustion began to creep up on her as she grinned, looking around to see the malaise fading away. For a second she even thought she saw Jonah smile.

"That's great. She didn't put up too bad of a fuss did she?" she asked.

"A little. You should've seen her boss, it was amazing. I'm glad we decided to take her along with us" he gushed. She smiled and looked at the relieved girl beside her.

"Tell us the whole story later, but keep the flattery to a minimum. Rock might take offense to it" her pigtailed head swiveled to her, guardedly curious "In the meantime, let's get off at the next exit and get on the nearest way out of the country. I don't want to be here when the local cops get involved" she ordered.

"Will do" he responded.

"By the way, you all get a raise" she slyly added before ending the call. A few more seconds and she had another number dialed and waiting, pointedly ignoring the disbelieving looks from the others that were certain she just said what they thought she said.

"Tojo, you alright?" Koko questioned.

"Shaken, ears are ringing, and I'm pissed off. Why?" he asked.

"Soon as you can I need you to get on your computer. I want him found" she ordered. Tojo didn't need to ask who.

* * *

 _Melbourne international airport, four days later..._

As it turned out, finding the man they were hunting for in the terminal turned out to be far easier than Koko expected it to be. He had an assumed name of course, as well as a female agent accompanying him (at least she assumed it was an agent). Beyond that, he had made no other provisions to hide himself. It was like he wanted her to find him. That line of alone thought made her worry.

The waiting area was almost empty; there was two men in business suits talking about something in a corner, a busty blonde woman sitting on a bench while she played on her phone, and Hinoki himself sitting comfortably in one of the chairs, apparently waiting for them. He had a ridiculous looking Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts on, blissfully looking away from her.

Koko brought four bodyguards with her to confront him: Jonah, Black Rock Shooter, and a distinctly aggrieved Tojo. Just in case, Lehm and Lutz had taken up positions around the area, and R waited with Mao nearby. She nearly died because of this man, letting him go was not an option. Hinoki didn't notice her presence until she was almost upon him, where he looked over with muted surprise.

"Oh my, are you Koko Hekmatyr?" the Colonel asked genially as he pushed himself to his feet. Though he appeared at ease, she could tell his sharp gaze was scanning everything in sight. She also noticed a twitch when he saw the girl.

"I am. You're a hard man to track Colonel Hinoki" Koko greeted flatly. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Tojo began to glare daggers at him.

"Yes, sorry about that. I was really hoping I'd get to my destination first. Before I continue, if you're going to kill me can you please wait until we are out of sight?" he asked, catching her off guard.

"That depends entirely on you Colonel" she replied.

Jonah waited; it was all he could do. However, when a brown skinned young girl, wearing a yellow sundress and no more than seven years old, ran into the room he was distracted. She tripped over her feet and fell to the floor, and he abandoned his post to help her. Unnoticed by him but watched by everyone else, Black Rock Shooter tracked him with confusion. She had just started to get back onto her feet when he bent over to offer his hand. The oriental girl looked at him warily for a moment before accepting the grip with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Jonah asked once she was back on her feet. The girl took a second to straighten out her dress before she beamed.

"I'm fine, thank you" the girl said cheerfully. She looked around for a second before her gaze locked onto Hinoki, but before she made it five paces she spotted Black Rock Shooter watching her strangely. With her pale skin and odd outfit, she stood out from everyone in the room.

"Your clothes are funny" she said after a moment. Black Rock Shooter bristled, quickly withdrawing her phone to furiously type out a retort. The girl had to lean in close to read what the tiny screen said.

"My, clothes, are, fine" she read before giggling "No they're not. They look funny" she insisted. Black Rock Shooter grimaced, turning to Koko for support. She shrugged apathetically.

"You know we all feel the same on that subject" she said. Black Rock Shooter rolled her eyes and typed out a new response to the little girl. When she presented it, the girl fearlessly snatched the device from her grip.

For several seconds she stared uncomprehendingly, disbelieving that anyone would do such a thing. Then she scowled before trying to take it back. The girl giggled and held it close, keeping it away from her. A discreet cough from Koko reminded her of the rules, making her grimace at the unfair situation. Again and again she tried to take her phone back from the laughing child, failing each time because of her established rules of engagement prevented her from harming the girl, forcing her to resort to fumbling for it back.

"That's enough Mana, give her the phone" Hinoki said authoritatively. The little girl stopped, holding it back out a moment later. Black Rock Shooter snatched the device back with a scowl for good measure. Mana just giggled.

Koko smiled throughout the entire event, noting that even young girls found Jonah irresistible. And watching Black Rock Shooter struggle against a child half her age was high class entertainment. She also noted that Tojo was still deeply upset, keeping up a considerable glare directed at Hinoki. Curiosity made her check on the man in question, but to her surprise he was watching intently at the pair as well, unsmiling.

"Something the matter Colonel?" she probed.

"It's just Hinoki now. I put my resignation in days ago" he corrected. His gaze didn't leave the child until she trotted right up to him, taking his own hand.

"I see" she said thoughtfully. Hinoki looked down at the girl again and smiled.

"Mana, you know better than to tease people like that" he gently admonished.

"Sorry daddy" Mana said apologetically.

Koko's train of thought derailed. Coincidentally, so did Jonah's and Tojo's. Her eyes flickered between the little girl and the now ex-agent, seeing things with a fresh eye. How her eyes were the same color, the shape of the nose, so many other details that didn't register at first. Tojo was the first to get his bearings back, and he started to grin mirthlessly.

"So, that one bit of intel that claimed that claimed you had a sham marriage with a Thai woman..." he left hanging.

"Mostly true. Just cross out the sham bit" Hinoki corrected. Koko blinked, then whistled in amazement.

"Forgot you had a mask on?" she chuckled.

"More like I found I liked the mask better. I gave up on the SR Unit a long time ago when I realized what they were becoming. I have you to thank for that Tojo" he explained.

"Me? How?" he asked confusedly. Hinoki looked down to the girl and softly said "Go back to your mother, okay sweetheart?" he said. Mana smiled and nodded, but she stopped long enough to giggle at the oddly clad girl first and beam at the boy second before she ran off again.

"Because you saw what they were before anyone else did. To survive, we needed resources that the japanese government wasn't able or willing to provide. So we turned to the arms trade, among other things. It changed us, changed our goals, changed our mission. That op in Cuba showed me how disgusted you were at our practices, practices that I long ago accepted. You revealed to me the truth by leaving, showing me just how far we'd fallen" Hinoki explained.

"And coming after me was the perfect opportunity to clean house" Koko accused. He shook his head.

"You didn't clean, you burned it to the ground. Out of all of our agents, only a half dozen survived the assault. All of them were arrested shortly afterwards. Their trials will be quick and quiet, so no one has to know our country's dark secret. I do have to apologize for focusing exclusively on you though" he replied.

"Why did you just hit us anyway?" Tojo asked.

"My original plan was to split the attack between you and Kaspar, to better your odds and weaken us further. However, he left Indonesia shortly after he arrived" Hinoki explained. Koko furrowed her brow.

"Why?" she questioned.

"I don't know, and I didn't have time to find out. I did discover that he left for South Africa soon after he landed" he offered.

Koko was feeling confused at the statement. She considered it to be a lie at first, but at this point what reason did he have to lie?

"What is going on?" she murmured.

Hinoki paused in his conversation to glance at Black Rock Shooter, who had come back to stare blankly at him. He smiled and stuck out a hand.

"A pleasure to meet you. My sources tell me your name is Blake Sauders, correct?" he asked. She looked at Koko carefully, who met her gaze and slowly nodded. A few seconds later she had her phone out and a line typed out for him to see.

"Black Rock Shooter" Hinoki read thoughtfully, a frown clouding his features.

"What's the matter?" Tojo asked concernedly.

"Is Black a clan name?" he asked unexpectedly. She paused, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.

 _Why do you ask?_ she typed. Hinoki blinked himself.

"Pardon me. Miss Hekmatyr, I have a loose understanding of what she is" he switched quickly. Her brow narrowed.

"Your point?" Koko questioned.

"I was under the assumption that Kaspar's counterpart was somehow related, a sister or maybe even her mother-" Koko swiped a hand to silence him, her eyes going wide. Jonah picked up.

"Wait, counterpart?" she demanded.

"You...didn't know? I assumed that she came to his employ via you" Hinoki said concernedly.

Koko's phone choose an inopportune time to ring. She turned away to cup it close, leaving Tojo and Black Rock Shooter to close in on him.

"Did you catch that ones name?" he pressed.

"I did, it's part of the reason I asked. It was Black Gold Saw" he answered. The girl's anxious expression twisted into one of shock.

She listened with half an ear to the conversation as she clicked the call icon.

"Hello?" Koko cautiously greeted.

"It's about time you picked up!" snarled a voice she was certain she wasn't going to hear again.

"Wait, Huey Freeman? How'd you get this number?" she demanded.

"Doesn't matter. Listen to me, I'm in a hospital in Cape Town with a woman named Malin. Assistant to that japanese scientist?" he questioned.

"I know who she is, tell me what happened" Koko pressed.

"There's been an attack. Karen and Mokoena are in here, the doctors don't think they'll make it. Miami's been kidnapped" he reported. A cold sweat broke out on her brow.

"Who did it?" she said hoarsely.

"That's the problem. They say it was Kaspar" he answered grimly.

Koko froze. Out of all people she should have been resistant to such shock, but here she was.

"Malin says there's something in the hills that the doctor was making regular trips to. Whatever it was, he took it over and fortified it. I've tried to recon it several times but I couldn't get close enough. Now, yesterday they started shuttling out equipment to a ship offshore. I have a bad feeling of what it could be" he explained tersely. She gulped down a lump in her throat.

"Alright. Stay with them, they'll keep you safe" Koko ended the call before he could protest and turned back to the impromptu interrogation.

"Hinoki, I need you to tell me everything you know about Kaspar, _now_."

* * *

 **A/N: Well, isn't this quite the pickle? Anyway, if you would be so kind would you leave a review? I'm lonely.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Spilt chapter. Again. Tis be filler once again. Sorry folks, I'll make up for it soon,**

* * *

"Command actual to Hotel actual, come in, over."

"This is Hotel actual, I read you over."

"Confirm code Zulu Yankee X-ray."

"Confirmed."

"Roger. You have a new objective Hotel actual. You are to track Oscar from alpha sight to new location. Priority one. Transportation has already been arranged."

"Negative Command. Kilo Mike is up to something. We need to stay and recon-"

"Negative Hotel. This comes straight from the top. Grab all your people and relocate pronto. That's an order Hex."

"...Understood."

"Say again Hotel actual?"

"Orders confirmed. We're moving out in three zero minutes. Over and out."

* * *

It took Koko and her men less than forty five minutes to relocate from the Australian mainland to the awaiting Atlas off shore. It was a new record actually, beating the old time by almost ten minutes. She didn't feel like celebrating this however; the revelations gleamed from Hinoki and the phone call from that brat had gotten stuck in her mind and refused to leave. It left her in a constant state of calm fury.

She powered passed Ugo and Wiley without a word, ignoring their nervous greetings. Behind her the rest of the team crawled up the ladder off of the chartered boat back onto the ship itself.

"What's going on?" Wiley asked, helping Tojo up.

"A lot man, a lot" he said enigmatically.

"You're never going to believe this" R said as Ugo lent him a hand up.

Lehm and Mao didn't even offer that much "Lets wait until we're altogether first to explain everything" the former suggested.

Jonah crawled up without a problem, though he was looking concernedly at the direction Koko left. Crawling up behind him, Black Rock Shooter was a different story. Her eyes were unfocused, and her hands were shaking. What truly tipped them off that something was wrong was her expression. She was trying to keep her typical calm persona, but it broke almost as soon as it formed. It was somewhere between fury and shock.

No sooner did she get up the ladder did she take off in a dead sprint, after Koko. She moved so fast that she was nothing more than a blur across the deck. Jonah watched her go with deep concern, he thought it was almost on the level of what he was feeling about Koko at the moment. That's what he told himself; the truth, buried deep down to where he wouldn't admit it even to himself, was different.

Valmet came out of the ready room the moment she confirmed Koko was on board. Due to her injury she was excused from the operation itself (though it was mostly healed at this point), so she intended to make extra sure she was alright to make up for it.

"Hey Koko, what happened..." she powered passed her without so much as a sideways glance. Valmet was at a loss, following her movement plaintively. The girl dashing by her knocked the woman out of her stupor, and she too gave chase.

To her considerable shock her jogging up to grab her arm was met with a forced rebuff.

"What the hells gotten into you?" she angrily exclaimed. This time, when she grabbed her arm she held on tightly and refused to let go, spinning her struggling body around to face her. Koko resisted, but she gave up quickly when she understood that leaving wasn't an option.

"Now, what is going on?" Valmet demanded. Koko's hard gaze never shifted, making her lover worry more than anything else.

"Something big happened. Go find the others. I have to get some answers" she said, her voice as cold as her eyes. Valmet gulped nervously, hesitantly letting go of her and regretting it. Again she turned and stormed off, giving her nothing. At the last second she remembered there was another, and grabbed her shoulder before she too left her.

"Rock, what happened over there?" Valmet questioned sharply, letting go after turning her around too. Black Rock Shooter quickly turned away, with a snarl on her features.

A few seconds after digging into her pocket she presented the screen to her: _Bad things_.

If Valmet was worried before, she was breaking out in a cold sweat now. Not since the days immediately following the email that revealed Dead Master did she look so agitated. She couldn't keep still; either she adjusted her footing or wrung her hands constantly. Her expression however sealed the deal. Back then she was suppressing her considerable fury, it took most of her creativity to calm her down enough to function mostly back to normal.

Now, she looked almost afraid.

"Such as?" Valmet pressed.

 _Theres another 1_ , she hurriedly typed. Before she could continue the girl flitted off after Koko. She tracked the direction they went to, deducing their destination as the pale woman's office. For the life of her she couldn't imagine what happened on the mainland to get them both in such a state. Turning back the way they came, she strode on with purpose to find out why.

Halfway there Mao intercepted her while he was going in the opposite direction, most likely after her. Instead of acknowledging him she powered on past him, and he fell in behind her with an exasperated sigh. Only a short walk later (made much faster due to her greater pace) Valmet found the rest of the group, sans the girls and Lutz. Less than ten seconds after she reached them he exited from the door leading to the lower deck, an unhappy Dead Master a few steps behind him.

"Alright, everyone here?" Lehm asked loudly, surveying the assembled group as they looked on to him and Tojo expectantly. A head count showed them to be short only two, both of which he knew had other business to take care off.

"Would someone tell me why Koko and Rock are so upset?" Valmet asked loudly.

"I want to know why you interrupted my match. I had a minute left on the timer and my team was winning" Dead Master complained. A hard glare from Jonah made her shrink back, shutting her up at once.

"Alright, time to fill everyone in. Now, three things happened back there" Lehm began, nodding towards the bespectacled man beside him.

"Good news is we found Colonel Hinoki. Turns out he ditched the SR Unit and is going into retirement. There's no hard feelings, he just wants to be left alone now. The problem is that he revealed a lot of information about Kaspar. Serious stuff" Tojo explained grimly.

"Like what?" Wiley asked.

"The bad news. Remember Doctor Miami?" Lehm asked, finding several frowns going with their nods "Her place was raided. Karen and Moko are in rough shape, and the doctor herself has been kidnapped" the frowns fell away when he said that.

"According to Malin, Kaspar did it all" Tojo finished for him.

"But, why?" Lutz asked bewilderedly.

"No clue. But that's not the worst part" Lehm reached to his pocket. A pat reminded him that he left his cigarettes in the cabin, a move he now regretted. There were only a few other points in his life that he wished for his nicotine fix more than now; all of them connected to the situation at hand.

"The worst part is there's another one" he stabbed a finger at the horned girl "Of them" he said. She blinked in surprise when the group's seventeen eyes locked onto her, making her shrink back once more.

"Oh shit" Valmet whispered.

"You're not the only one" R agreed.

"According to Hinoki, this new one's name is..." Tojo glanced at Jonah awkwardly.

"Black Gold Saw" he said for him, getting out the odd name easily in comparison. Most of the groups eyes were still on Dead Master, letting them see the way she reacted to the boy's words.

"Where'd she come from? And how?" Mao asked worriedly.

"No idea. Let's hope the man himself can tell us. In the meantime, I need you to tell us everything you know about her" Lehm directed that at the horned girl. Her features hardened.

"And why do you assume I know anything?" Dead Master said defensively.

The hard flat looks of the assembled humans as they stared reminded her of what they were. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with the bottom of her clawed fingers.

"Fine. Black Gold Saw, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time" she began. Experimentally she glanced around for for any sympathy, and finding none.

"She's like myself and _her_ " even now, she was unable to even mention the other girl without contempt "Faster than you, stronger than you, the usual. In addition, even among my mind she is both skilled and powerful" she explained.

"How very informative, now tell us something useful" R prodded. She sneered his way for a moment before she tilted her head back, looking thoughtfully at the sky.

"Its not just that though. She's...different. I can't really explain it" she said. Lehm held his hand up and made a circular motion with it.

"It's like...I'm not sure what it's like. Let me put it this way: say a typical member of my kind finds a strange object. A TV or something. Most of us are interested in it for two reasons, is it dangerous or is it useful" she waved a hand around as she explained.

"That include you?" R asked.

"It does. You should've been there for the history lesson" Wiley added bitterly.

"That was wasted time from start to finish. But continuing, that's normal. It's either a threat which is dealt with, or it's useful and gets utilized. For Black Gold Saw, types like her will examine it beyond the cursory. They like to think, find things out, stuff like that. Just knowing that it's not useful isn't enough to dissuade them, they want to find out all about it" Dead Master explained.

Tojo in particular raised an eyebrow "You make her sound almost human."

"I thought the opposite when I came to this world. You're like an entire race of those odd ones. It's weird that's she's as strong as she is, considering how much effort is put into that instead of strengthening herself" she said.

"Okay, so recap. Faster and stronger than you, very smart, and if she's palling around with Kaspar she probably knows not just the basics but some of our tricks as well" Legm said, smiling but grim. She nodded.

"Exactly. You know, she faced her down before" Dead Master added.

"Rock?" Jonah asked. Again she bristled at him.

"Yes. Twice actually. The first time she attacked Black Gold Saw's realm at the same time as a small band. She was defeated, but instead of being killed she was just tossed out of there. Injured but alive" she explained. Ugo frowned.

"And the second?" he asked. She shrugged.

"She went back alone for vengeance. I'm not sure what happened, but she lost again. Most of Black Gold Saw's realm was destroyed in the process though" she finished.

"So, she's not just a badass, but one that beat Rock in a stand up fight twice, sparing her both times too. Might be something in there we can use" Valmet offered.

"Agreed, but for now lets prep for the worst. Lutz, Mao, Tojo, head down to the hold and score up some swiss specials. Wiley, Ugo, prep some explosives" the former's glasses flashed in the sun "R, go check on the gear we have out already, make sure it's all working. Valmet, you and I are going to find some anti-tank stuff. Missiles, fifties, the works. I don't want to get caught unprepared again. No arguments" Lehm interrupted her opening mouth.

"In a little while. Give her a few to find out what she needs first, then you can go to her. Jonah" the boy picked up "Go check on Koko and Rock, either order. Make sure neither popped a blood vessel yet. After that, give R a hand. Lets move it, if I know the boss a fraction as well as I think I do, we'll be plunging into a war zone very shortly" he finished.

A chorus of rogers met him before they moved out for their respective tasks. All except one, who he stopped by for a moment before going himself.

"Swiss specials?" Dead Master asked.

"Swiss cheese. Full of holes" her blank expression made him sigh "Forget it. Don't get in anyone's way" he ordered before stomping off.

Meanwhile, Koko sat down on her office chair while Black Rock Shooter hovered behind her. Her first order of business was to boot up her laptop, in order to hound all of her sources for information of Kaspar's whereabouts or intentions. While that was going on, she dialed her phone to check with the first source she obtained in her travels. On the back of the seat she could tell the girl's fingers were clutched on the back, and she guessed her knuckles were whiter than normal under the gloves.

"Miss Hekmatyr, what can I-" a spokeswoman for the home office started.

"Cut that out. I need the location of Kaspar Hekmatyr, now" Koko interrupted.

"I, uh, I'll get on that" the spokeswoman sputtered. She wasn't given the usual jingle tune of the busy line that most others who called the line would get, and the woman knew it. If she did her job would be forfeit, at minimum.

A few minutes of increasingly frustrated waiting later, broken only by Black Rock Shooter pacing, and she was finally back on the line "Mister Hekmatyr is currently on sick leave in Essex. He seems to have caught a nasty bug, but I can get in touch-" instead of continuing Koko slammed the phone down with a snarl.

"Okay, okay, we got to do this the hard way" she muttered. She was all too aware of the girl burning holes in her back, waiting for answers. As much as it infuriated her, there was nothing she could offer to stop it. Not immediately however, with her computer ready she could dive in without delay.

To her shock, there were two emails waiting for her already. Both were from Kaspar.

Koko opened up the first one, not minding Black Rock Shooter peering over her shoulder to read it as well. It read: _Hi sis, by the time you read this you've finished dealing with the sr unit, congrats. Thanks a ton. Hinoki probably told you that I'm to something. He's right. He might have mentioned something else, a certain three word name that put Rock-chan in a tizzy. If you want to find out the truth, I've left a set of coordinates with this email. Be there in five days if you want to see. Tootles, Kaspar_. Below the text was a string of numbers, GPS coordinates.

Before she plugged the numbers in, she checked the second email. It's text chilled her to the core: _By the way, forgot to mention it in the first one. Miami is fine. For now._

After a span of an hour, Black Rock Shooter was at last still. Koko could understand why, she was feeling the same thing as her. Numbly she plugged in the data her brother left for her, at a complete loss for the first time in her adult life. The machine didn't know and had no way of understanding what she felt, it simply fulfilled it's purpose. It transformed the seemingly random sequence into a name and a location, ignorant of the fresh wave of shock it inflicted.

"Roanapur?" Koko read disbelievingly.

 _The next day..._

Black Rock Shooter could do nothing but wait. Even at full power, the Atlas still needed three more days before they reached the designated location. The same city the others had spoken of with scorn, one that even she felt quiet disgust at, was their ultimate destination. Silently she urged the overworked engines to go faster, to end the waiting that wore at her constantly.

Earlier she lent a hand to the men to alleviate her anxiety (she wasn't going to associate what she felt with fear, no matter what), helping to carry equipment and ammunition. It felt good; the hard labor, using her strength to help instead of hurt, it took her mind off of the crisis. While she alternated between staggered under the weight of the large box of 50. caliber anti-material bullets and giving a mocking smirk at a fretting Mao, she finally felt at peace. At the end Black Rock Shooter's muscles felt like weak rubber, but her mind returned to the same problem.

Until darkness came or someone needed her again, she remained sitting in the observation post on the conn tower. Being fairly remote, it gave her a place to let her guard down for a while. She could think about the upcoming conflict and deal with her feelings in privacy, without fear of prying eyes. Later she would visit the cafeteria for food, maybe check to see if her assistance was needed by someone. After that, a fitful sleep.

A prime benefit of the post compared to any other location on the ship was that the ladder creaked, making anyone using it impossible to sneak up on her. When it did, she picked up and forced her neutral expression back on. Her worry (not fear) was shoved aside, for a moment anyway. When the intruder's head popped up over the edge, she hardened her gaze.

"There you are" Jonah blandly greeted, proceeding to climb up entirely despite her not giving him an invitation. He was the second to last person she wanted to see now, given how nosy he could be. Without another word he unslung a backpack he had on to set it on the ground, unzipping it and reaching inside. When his hand came out, it held a red apple.

"Saw that you were troubled. Want it?" he asked. She said nothing and her gaze stayed the same, yet she still held her hand out to her weakness. Jonah lightly tossed it instead of coming closed, perhaps sensing how uncomfortable she was. Despite that he sat down on the floor as well, staring into the far distance like her. The light breeze caressed them both.

"You doing alright?" Jonah asked after a minute. Black Rock Shooter transferred the apple to other hand she she could dig into her pocket, checking the battery bar first. She would have to plug it into the charger sometime soon, but for now it was acceptable.

 _Did koko send you up here?_ she asked, not looking in his direction.

"No, came up here by myself. You didn't answer me" he reminded. Black Rock Shooter contemplated her choice of answers, taking into account his nosiness.

In the end, she shook her head.

"Want to talk about it?" Jonah asked, bland yet sincere.

She shook her head again.

"Alright" he stated. He lapsed into silence. She didn't have to, since she never left it.

If only her thoughts were so simple to deal with. Black Rock Shooter wanted Jonah to leave, to go and pester someone else. Maybe Koko; she loved to cuddle with him whenever she was down, and at present she certainly was down. Maybe Dead Master; weeks after that day and she was still terrified of him, tormenting her with his presence was certainly amusing. Maybe any of the eight others that could've used a helping hand for something or another.

Yet...

If Koko or any of the others didn't dispatch him to find her, then why did he come? When there was a list of things that were left to do, from checking their weapons to running drills, why did he take time out of his day to bring an apple to her and to see if she was willing to talk? It reminded her of the old days with-she halted that thought. Under no condition was she going to associate Jonah with Dead Master. She wasn't the same person as back then, she wasn't going to make the same mistake.

"Actually" Jonah said, snapping her out of her thoughts "I came up here for another reason" he admitted. Black Rock Shooter looked dryly his way, though beneath her bland expression she was confused.

"There's something I'd like to try. Remember back in Essex, when Tojo tried to shoot your cannon?" he asked. In spite of her mood she couldn't help cracking a thin smile as she recalled that incident, especially the part where he fainted.

"I've been thinking. During the fight with Dead Master" her lip curled "You reclaimed the black sword, even though she took it from you a while ago. That must mean that if a person tries to use something of yours, it won't work" he explained. She tilted her head a few degrees.

"So, I think as long as you have your hand on it, it'll work. If you don't want to do it it's okay" Jonah finished.

Her first thought was disbelief. Such a strange and banal request couldn't be the reason he wanted to visit her, especially since he was there during the original test. The more she thought about it however, the better it sounded. It wasn't like she was doing anything else (this rendering that excuse invalid). If nothing else it could take her mind off the upcoming event, even for just a little while. Black Rock Shooter jumped to her feet as lights danced down her arm.

 _Five minutes later..._

She couldn't take it anymore. Koko had run the gamut of her contacts, from HCLI's Intel department to contacts she hadn't spoken to in a decade. Each and every one of them had given a variation of the same answer: we don't know. It was painfully obvious that Kaspar was up to something enormous, but none of them could give a satisfactory answer. Guesses, both educated and ridiculous, was all they could offer in place of facts. It was all she could do to stop herself from breaking everything in sight in fury.

So before she went and did something foolish, Koko stomped out of her cabin to get some air. The men were wise enough to give her some space during her rage, though it took some 'convincing' to keep Valmet away. Later she would stop by, probably to talk. Afterwards however, some 'stress relief' wasn't off the menu. She doubted it would help, but it beat sitting around and fuming.

When Koko reached the top of the conn tower she heard a distinctive sound, a boom that had little in common with any gun she knew of. It was enough to give pause to her anger, allowing her curiosity to take the reins for a short while. She stopped in place and searched around, waiting for another shot. Sure enough a few seconds later another boom echoed, and a glowing blue bolt flew out. She watched it for a second as it streaked across the cloudless sun filled horizon, coming up with it's source within a few seconds.

Koko scowled when the ladder to the observation post creaked on her, even though a third shot canceled out most of the noise. Privately she wondered what Black Rock Shooter was up to; she only rarely practiced firing the cannon on its own. There were no alerts, and Dead Master was already accounted for (the last check she was playing an online game), so that ruled out another scuffle. That left anger, which was certainly a proven reason. Yet the shots were too slow and measured to be normal frustration.

When she poked her head over the top, she found the answer. For the second time in two days, she was left speechless.

Both Jonah and Black Rock Shooter glanced over her way from looking over the empty horizon. In the former's hands was the latter's distinctive weapon, held somewhat awkwardly in a standard rifle pose.

"Hey Koko" Jonah greeted, handing the cannon over to the girl. He walked over to help her up, but she was already to the top in the couple of seconds it took for him to get there. She stopped long enough to smooth out her suit before she leveled a puzzled glance at them.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I just see you firing Rock's cannon?" Koko quizzed. Black Rock Shooter nodded, holding the weapon by the large barrel instead of it's grip in one hand while the other retrieved her phone.

 _He figurd out a way to shot it_ , her screen explained. She raised an eyebrow, unable to help herself from being dumbstruck.

"I'm pretty sure that if a human tries to use any of your weapons they'll turn into dust in a minute or less. Tojo proved that. How did you fond a way around that?" Koko asked confusedly.

"I'll show you" Jonah said. He returned to Black Rock Shooter's side, where she handed the cannon over without complaint. Again Jonah adjusted his pose, putting himself into a rifle stance. The ergonomics of the weapon made it difficult, making him leave his hand much further back than he would want. He managed though, not to the degree he would've preferred but it would work. The weight of the cannon, a little heavier than the Magpul Masada, made it slightly easier to lift the cannon up to aim it to the horizon.

Black Rock Shooter placed her flattened hand on the side of the barrel. There was a quiet, almost inaudible whining sound. Then the cannon jerked, more of a jolt than anything else. And to her astonishment, a one of a kind blue bolt flew out from the barrel. Jonah lowered the cannon in order to look back at her, keeping it high enough for the girl to keep her hand on it. Koko's expression was blank, despite her larger than usual eyes.

"Tojo is going to _flip_ when he sees this" she said simply.


	9. Chapter 8 pt 2

**A/N: Technically this is the second half of chapter eight. To be honest, I split these two because of their radically different tones. The last was more expectation than anything, this one is crunch time. They just don't blend together. Pardon me for making them shorter than usual.**

 **Also, it's been brought to my attention that Roanapur is located in Malaysia. I didn't know that, I always thought it was in Thailand. It's too late to retcon all that, so for this story I'll just say its set there instead.**

* * *

This was it.

Eighty seven hours after receiving the message Koko waited expectantly (not quite anxiously) on the bridge of the Atlas. Joining her was Jonah, Lehm, and Black Rock Shooter. Everyone else was dispersed throughout the ship with weapons ready. The arrangement was so that every part of the vessel could be covered, while reinforcements could arrive quickly. Not one of the twelve knew what to expect, only to be ready for anything.

The setting sun created a harsh orange glare that not even the tinted windows of the ship could block entirely. Through it, they could look on to the nearby island that marked the entrance to a pit of villainy. The broken statue of the Buddha looked on, blindly welcoming all newcomers to the wretched hive that lay just beyond the rocky outcrop. Koko imagined that if it was sentient it would weep at the sight; perhaps that was why the eyes were chipped away, so it didn't have to know.

She waited, glaring at her laptop that was set up on the navigation table. Other than the party of four the room was empty, the normal crew that kept the ship running smoothly were banished for the upcoming meeting. What they didn't know couldn't kill them, Koko would make sure of it. No matter what was about to happen, it would all end tonight. She vowed to the god she despised that it would.

Lehm coughed nervously "Do we call him, or..." he trailed off uncertainly.

The laptop beeped. Koko was on it in a heartbeat, confirming what she already suspected: incoming video.

"About time" she muttered under her breath. She clicked the icon, and a new window popped up. The tiny video camera and microphone attached to the top of the screen clicked on.

For a moment the resultant image was blurry and jerking, but though a few seconds it cleared up. The video quality wasn't perfect, though it would do for what was about to happen. Unconsciously the three bodyguards leaned in closer to see, which was made easier when Koko made it fullscreen. On the other side, a pale skinned man with piercing blue eyes wearing a business suit walked into view to take a convenient chair, grinning like he just heard a funny joke.

"Hey there Koko. You're early" Kaspar Hekmatyr greeted cheerfully.

"Shut up. What did you do to Miami?" Koko snapped back. He chuckled.

"What, no hello? How are you doing, all that jazz?" he went on, ignoring her anger and the hostility behind her, especially of the two children that were especially close to the screen.

"Answer the damn question" she snarled. He sighed dramatically.

"Fine, killjoy. Here" Kaspar reached off screen for something, producing a small digital camera a second later. He fiddled with it for a moment before he turned it around, showing what was recorded to them. The video quality was poor, and being showed secondhand didn't help at all. However, what was shown to them made that irrelevant.

It was the doctor, her plain outfit and orange hair was unmistakeable. She was tied up to a chair, head slumped down and clothes ragged. A disembodied arm reached out to grab a fistful of her hair, harshly yanking her head up. Koko gasped; her face was nearly unrecognizable, such was the extent of the bruises. Some dried blood lined down from her lip, perhaps where the arm punched her. Her glasses were gone, showing listless dim eyes.

" _Your name?_ " a male voice demanded, tinny through the two speakers.

" _Doctor...Amada...Minami...I...work..._ " Doctor Miami's voice was weak, as if even speaking was an exhausting chore.

Rather than let her finish, the arm released her head to let her slump back down. Kaspar put the camera out of sight before he grinned back at the screen, seeing the unconcealed horror on his sister's face.

"She's a tough one, I'll give her that. Took two days for that specialist to get her to talk. Impressive" he commented.

"You... _bastard_ " Koko choked out.

"She brought it on herself, she tried to force me off the land I bought. I paid for that stretch of hills out of my own pocket. I'm going to guess that she didn't tell you about that, did she?" Kaspar posed. Her glare told him much.

"You're going to pay for this" she promised. He chuckled, making her grind her teeth together.

"I already have. Millions of dollars have went into this little shindig, but tonight, I make it all worth it. And I owe it all to Miami" he declared. Koko's burning anger was resonating with the others, steadily making them all grow increasingly furious.

"You see, your friend's been keeping a lot of secrets from you. Like a special little spot she found that my new employee found by accident" he went on.

"Liar" Koko spat.

"Am I? Tell you what, grab a pair of binoculars and look at Roanapur. Any part" he offered.

"Why?" she snarled. He only smirked.

"Because, the show's about to start" he said.

Lehm frowned as he heard a distant noise, making him look out the window "Helos" he reported.

By a great force of will Koko tore her eyes off of the screen to look out the window. With as far as she was from them, she had no way of identifying their make or model. However, she was able to recognize their type: heavy duty cargo lifters. The fading light made it difficult, but she was certain there were large containers underneath them as well. Over a dozen were in sight, and she had little doubt there were more.

"Take a seat and grab some popcorn" Kaspar invited, reminding them of the situation.

Koko opened her mouth to speak, but Jonah beat her to it by slamming his hands on the table and demanding "What are you planning?"

"My my, little Jonah's got a temper. Seriously though, take a good long look at the city" he urged.

"Kaspar..." Koko growled. He groaned.

"My god you guys are dull. Alright, I'm testing Bioweapons" he admitted casually. Lehm had started to pull out a cigarette despite the no smoking rule on the bridge, pausing before he could light it.

Koko blinked; she needed a second to react given the incongruity of his tone versus the statement. When her mind finally caught up her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

" _Are you insane!?_ " she shrieked. Lehm's cigarette fell from his frozen fingers, his jaw dropping in shock.

"Jeez you're loud" Kaspar complained, rubbing his ear.

Unmindful of anything else Koko shoved a speechless Jonah and a confused Black Rock Shooter out of the way, putting her furious and horrified expression inches from the camera.

"I'm loud? _I'm loud!?_ We have three rules: no chemicals, no biologicals, and no nuclear. That's the one goddamn line we never cross. Did you lose your _fucking mind!?_ " Koko's voice had gone shrill, showing the two children and the man present more than anything else what she was feeling. Lehm in particular knew how serious it was.

Koko wasn't just furious, she was scared. In turn, that made him scared.

"Oh please" Kaspar just rolled his eyes "Don't act all high and mighty around me" he dismissed. Her expression, already twisted by rage, contorted further.

"I'm not the one testing Bioweapons you goddamn idiot" she snarled.

"I'm not the one that has children bodyguards" he shot back. The pale man's smirk finally dropped, timed well with the pale woman's scowl freezing in place.

"You're going to condemn me for something like this while a kid, three at this point, offer up their lives to save your own. You're not a miracle worker, you're an arms dealer. There's just as evil as me" he lectured.

Jonah looked to Koko to see her response. Her eyes were wider than ever, and her lip was trembling.

"That's..." she whispered.

"You don't get to take the moral high ground. Everyone that works for me I gave a choice to. Poe, Edgar, Allan, Chiquita, even Gold Saw. I made Jonah a deal, which by the way I'm sticking to no matter what happens tonight. If you were better than me, then five minutes after I dropped Jonah off to you he'd be getting checked into a nice orphanage with a good psychiatrist, well on his way to a new home. But you didn't" he stabbed a finger at his own camera, unresponsive to his sister's quivering expression.

"Shut up" Jonah snapped at him.

"Does it make it any less true? Or do you think your little scheme with Miami can wash the blood from your hands?" he accused.

Koko took an involuntary step backwards, trembling uncontrollably.

"Yeah, she told me. Gotta admit, it's ambitious. It also makes you a hypocrite. You're ready to damn me while you plan to kill even more people than I will. At least for me I'd be doing the world at large a favor" he went.

Kaspar leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, putting up a smirk. Those on the other side weren't listening for it, but the sound of a door opening filtered through.

"Now you went and spoiled my good mood. Anyway, times up, I can't delay any longer. Sit back and watch the fireworks" he finished. The camera clicked off.

 _Ten miles away..._

To the people of Roanapur, danger was a way of life. The city's status as the unofficial capital of organized crime in Southeast Asia, arguably most of Asia, had long ago sullied it's reputation beyond the point of no return. Those that lived in such a place fell into one of two categories: those that wanted to be there (mafia from dozens of countries, smugglers, and various purveyors of illegal goods) and those that didn't (the rabble that constituted the majority of the population).

There was no defined line between the two; an enterprising lieutenant in a South American Cartel could come to the city and become jaded by the never ending strife, while a lost soul could find themselves inducted into the elite and rise far above what they had any right to expect in life. A side effect of this arrangement was a natural apathy to anything that went on that didn't immediately concern the people. A prostitute that walked the streets was at best unlikely to garner attention, and a serial murderer could stay off the radar so long as he didn't go after anyone too important or too willing to go after him themselves.

However, some things were too bizarre to not take notice of. Such was the case when the distinctive whup-whup of a helicopter grew loud enough to make people look up from their activities, all sharing the feeling of guarded curiosity. It was made much starker when the wind picked up to near typhoon levels, announcing the presence of an unusual sight to the diverse crowds below.

It was a massive twin prop Chinook supply helicopter, painted black with only a tiny emblem of four legible letters on the side. Gently swinging underneath the chopper was a large grey cargo container, connected to the craft by several taunt cords. The powerful gusts increased as the pilot put the helicopter into a hover above a four way intersection, steadily lowering the container until it was a few feet above the ill maintained pavement. A few cars in the way hurriedly vacated the area.

Something gave; the lines loosened, dropping the heavy load a couple of feet to slam against the ground. A rumble reverberated through the compacted dirt, giving a shake to everything in the vicinity. The few people effected were given no time to recover, for the next second the intense wind reached it's climax, as the pilot fed more power into the beating engines to make it rise.

Almost as soon as it began the beating rotors began to taper off, the machine it kept airborne was flying away at an accelerated pace. Forty seconds later the sound was reduced to normal levels once again, though the whup-whup was still audible. A few of the more observant citizens in the vicinity noted that there were other helicopters in the distance, vacating the area as well. Unknown to them there was a total of sixty.

For a full minute no one said or did anything other than stare blankly at either the fleeing chopper or the large container it left behind. A few went on their way to resume their normal evening, but a couple of men didn't.

"The hell was that?" questioned a twentish Chinese man by the name of Lin.

"Not a clue. Want to check it out?" asked his friend, a white man of Italian descent that was also in his twenties that went by Lorenzo.

"I dunno..." Lin said uncertainly. Lorenzo laughed.

"C'mon dude" he urged, taking off in an easy jog towards the container. Lin decided to follow a moment later.

Lorenzo reached the doors first, hardly aware that his friend had purposely gone slow to avoid getting close. He didn't care though, he was too busy imagining what could be inside. Perhaps it was a load of drugs from the Golden Triangle further north, delivered via a new way rather than the typical smuggling methods. Maybe it was some other good, or just cash. With luck, he would be able to grab a handful and take off without anyone being the wiser. Given the container's size, losing a handful of whatever wouldn't be a big deal.

Lorenzo unlatched the door and swung the creaking door open to the corrupt Roanapur evening, discovering with confusion another set of latches inside. Once he saw inside he paused for a moment, before opening up with a bellow of laughter.

"What!?" Lin yelled, unwilling to get closer than twenty feet.

"There's girls in here! A bunch!" Lorenzo answered excitedly. Despite his home Lin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Are you serious?" he questioned.

"Hell yeah! Must be forty or fifty! Most are real young, early teens. Damn, that is one goofy-" Lorenzo's statement was cut off. The white man slumped over, apparently over someone.

Though he was nervous, Lin was afraid for his friend. Cautiously he approached the man, noting that there was someone in front of him.

"Lorry?" he said carefully. Only when he was within five feet did things happen.

Brief flashes of light sparkled from inside, teasingly illuminating figures in the darkness. A lot of figures. Lorenzo slumped over further, his shoes actually leaving the ground entirely. On the back of his light colored shirt there were two separate rows of red spots, many inches apart from each other. As he watched the spots were expanding, turning from uneven circles to irregular patches.

 _Blood_ , Lin realized too late.

 **Trackplay: Hijinx & Invader - Corpses.**

There was a sound not unlike fabric tearing, mixed in with the sickening noise of bones cracking. Lorenzo was ripped apart, most of his torso going one direction while his waist and legs went the other. Both parts of his friend were flung apart, a spray of blood splattering the front of Lin. He was frozen in place, unable to believe the sight he just witnessed. Much less the full picture of the one who accomplished it.

It was a girl, no more than fourteen years old by his reckoning. Her skin was a sickly alabaster tone, and her hair was a thick purple color done up in a long ponytail. She appeared to be somewhat thin, though she was almost as tall as he was. A long ivory and purple coat went from her shoulders to her knees, and a corset and hot pants combo was on underneath. The part that shocked him the most was her hands; her palms were covered in black metal, and extending away into short blades instead of fingers. In his peripheral vision he saw other girls in various ages and outfits begin to filter out of the darkness.

The girl looked up, the remaining viscera of Lorenzo dripping from the claws. Blood splattered the entirety of her torso and face as she looked on to the dumbstruck crowd, features momentarily blank.

For the first time in her life, Grey Hatch smiled.

The last thing Lin saw was the girl that just killed his friend lunge at him. He was cut into ribbons before he realized what happened, a roar of bizarre gunfire beginning when what was left of him hit the ground. Dozens died in seconds, still in shock at the scene in front of them. A few quick whittled ones drew weapons; pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, whatever they had. But it wasn't fast enough, and a score more perished before any fire was returned. More than a few lost everything but the urge to flee.

It was a simple arrangement. The ones with ranged weapons fired indiscriminately into the now panicking mass, while those with close combat weapons charged into the mass, swinging wildly. They all shared one thing in common: the insatiable bloodlust that wouldn't be sated until every being around was dead.

As Grey Hatch sprinted through the streets killing indiscriminately, she decided that her dream had at long last come true.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my, what have I done? Ah, who am I kidding. Let me clue you in on a little secret ladies and gents: I've been planning this particular moment since July fifteenth of 2015. Everything I've done since then has been leading up to this moment. All my plots, all my games, it has resulted in this chapter. Doubt me if you want, it's all true.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Koko's theme: Die in a fire, by Living Tombstone.**

* * *

Roanapur was burning.

Though the last of the sun's rays had vanished, there was a new orange glow lighting up the horizon. Fires were starting, begun by the panicked civilians or the uncaring monsters. The city on a good day was a chaotic mess, now it ensured to make the situation exponentially worse. A few that kept their heads down in the face of the evolving war zone found themselves faced with the grim choice of chancing the fearful gangs and the inhuman girls that preyed upon all or stay by the billowing flames. Indecision claimed as many lives as haste.

Only three major land routes connected Roanapur to the outside world, two bridges and a small road. Both of the bridges were blown and the road was buried by a planned landslide within minutes of the helicopter's arrival, done by uncaring HCLI contractors. This left one viable alternative: the ocean. Those who were underarmed or too far away from the harbor had to risk everything, knowing that there was no other option. Not all chose to flee however.

"C'mon you goddamn bitches!" roared a powerfully built minor mafia lieutenant by the name of Tommy Velsitti as he and his exceedingly reluctant team of four lackeys burst from their gambling parlor with automatic weapons, a surplus AA-12 shotgun in his own hands. He was a man that was short on tact but great on both charm and bravery, though he had a minor cocaine habit (uncommented by his lackeys was a thin line of white powder on his nose).

One lackey tried to raise a quiet protest, but his words were drowned out by the mighty roar of the gun's twelve gauge buckshot shells spewing out. A few of the monsters that were busy killing people paused to react to the new threat. Tommy laughed as the girls ran at inhuman speeds, swifter than anything in his experience. The torrent of lead forced the three that broke off to keep down to run from cover to cover, while a few fleeing civilians were torn apart by the gunfire, dying screaming.

"Fuck yeah! Little bitch-" the shotgun clicked empty. He took his suddenly furious bloodshot eyes off of the crowded street for several seconds. Long enough for one to leap out from behind a now ruined car to deftly land on his shoulders, making Tommy jerk and drop his beloved gun.

She leaped off again, barely avoiding a spray of blood from his neck where Tommy's head was moments earlier. The closest lackey screamed and dropped his gun, turning to run while he collapsed. Seeing an opening the two others joined the fray, one blasting a stunned thug with a beam of red light that clumsily tore a hole through his chest, the other throwing a long chain with a blade on the end through the temple of the one beside him, yanking him off his feet as she closed the gap. The last one, frozen in place at the sight, was neatly sliced on the waist by twin short swords belonging to the former.

The pair looked over the four bodies for just a moment before a fresh scream announced the presence of new victims, and they darted off in the direction. Along the way one took an unlucky bullet to the spine and collapsed, her companion pausing long enough to put a blade through the back of her neck before moving on. She could've lived, but it would've taken her awhile to get back on her feet.

A fleeing thief was cut down by a spray of unearthly bullets. A shop owner died with a shotgun in his hands against a monster with an ornate hammer for a weapon. Blazing flames trapped a family in their home with no escape. A lucky shot hit a monster between the eyes, while a claymore mine crippled several more. A pack of three ran down a street as fast as their legs could carry them, slashing their swords at anything moving. Many died, many more were left crippled and screaming until the flames or a monster finished them.

Two individuals regarded the unfolding chaos differently. One watched from a perch on the top of the hotel (though it's overall quality was laughable), watching the burning streets and rivers of terrified and dead from on high. Earlier, when her boss was busy taunting his sister in hopes that she'd come at them now and get overrun by the hell he'd created, she had her headphones in and was listening to music on her tablet. Now, her ears were filled with the sound of screams and death, audible even a dozen stories above the ground. The other walked away from her impromptu home to join the fray, an unhinged grin on her face.

On board the Atlas, the twelve had gathered together by the railing closest to the burning city, watching in utter shock. They were close enough to hear faint explosions but far enough away that the screams didn't reach them.

"My god" Valmet murmured, unable to take her eye off of the sight.

"I can't believe it" R said similarly.

"Did-did Kaspar lose his mind?" Tojo stuttered.

"Why would he do this?" Mao whispered.

"Gather up thousands of my kind and let them lose into a city. Why didn't I think of that?" Dead Master commented enviously. Lutz, Ugo, and Black Rock Shooter immediately sent a hateful glare at her, making the horned girl shrink back.

Instead of speaking Lehm tore his eyes off the sight. Koko stared dispassionately in Roanapur's direction, unsmiling.

"Koko?" he asked quietly.

"Lehm. How many of them do you think there are?" she questioned, her voice as flat as her expression.

"I have no idea Koko. I saw about twenty helicopters, if there was fifty or so per chopper there's easily over a thousand. And I'd be willing to bet there's a lot more than that" he answered grimly. His boss nodded once.

"And where do you think Kaspar is?" she asked in the same tone. Valmet finally looked away from the sight to look at her incredulously.

"Koko, you're not thinking off...?" she trailed off nervously.

Again she nodded once "This cannot be ignored. He has to die" she pronounced heavily.

"But surely..." the Finn tried to protest.

"It's too dangerous for any of you to head in there, I'll go in by myself" she answered. At that all but one of the party jerked their heads her way, alarm written all over their features.

"Koko, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lutz protested. She turned and began to walk away, making it five paces before Valmet stomped up to her and grabbed her arm.

"You're not going anywhere" she snapped. Koko sent a sullen look her way, on the verge of a scowl.

"I'm not ordering any of you to go in that hell. This is my business" she said coldly.

"And you're not going in alone" Valmet replied in kind.

"I'll go" said the boy. This time everyone present glanced at Jonah. He continued to stare at the city, knuckles nearly white from clenching the rail so hard.

"Like hell!" Koko suddenly snapped.

"Kaspar has to pay for this. I can get in there and take him out without anyone else noticing me" he answered coldly.

A hand was laid on his arm. When he turned his head to it, Black Rock Shooter let go and held up her phone's screen to him.

 _Im coming too_ , it said.

"None of you are going in there, you hear me!?" Koko snarled. She attempted to break free from the tight grip, but she ended up in a headlock by a determined Valmet instead.

"Sorry boss, we can't let you go in by your lonesome. What do you pay us for anyway?" Tojo cracked a thin smile. As he glanced around to the others, a sick grin spread to them all.

"You. Are. Not. Leaving. This. Ship" Koko ordered. Lehm pulled out a cigarette as he and R exchanged smirks .

"Insubordination is a pain isn't it?" the latter commented as he lit it. Lutz and Mao grinned, nodding in agreement.

"If this was a real military unit we'd be in trouble. Makes me glad we aren't" Ugo added.

"You're fired. All of you!" she spat furiously.

"Great. Means we don't have to listen to you anyway" Lutz shrugged.

Koko continued to struggle, helpless in the face of mutiny from her closest companions.

"Okay, here's the plan" Lehm announced loudly "R, Jonah, Rock, and myself are going in there personally. Ugo, Tojo, Lutz, your job is to guard the boat from anyone that wants it. I'm guessing a lot of people are going to want on our express ticket out" he reassured their glum expressions at being left out.

"Wiley, Mao, Valmet, I'm counting on you three to hold this ship. Once the local army moves in they'll flatten the place rather than take it, it's what I'd do. We need to be on our merry way well before that. Now, any questions? Not you Koko" he interrupted her before she could speak "And please make it an intelligent question" he clarified. A few of them exchanged glances, but only Mao spoke up.

"Do we even know where he is?" he asked carefully.

"Already took care of that" Tojo spoke "I traced his signal earlier. He's in the large hotel in the middle of the city. It seems like he didn't even try to hide his location" he shook his head.

"Because he knows we'll come after him for this. Better now, since the playing field is his" Wiley noted.

"Anywhere after this we can just sic a bomber on him. Clever bastard" Valmet shook her head angrily. A metal hand rose up.

"What do I do?" Dead Master quipped.

"Good question. Tojo, Wiley, flip a coin" he commanded.

"As much as I hate to say it, we could use her help once we're ashore. Especially if one of them looks our way and sees a juicy target" the former explained, frowning at the very thought.

"Either she helps hold them off, people or Witches, and pays back on all the food and wifi she's used up, or she dies and we don't have to worry about her anymore. Win-win" Ugo said. A few questioning looks came his way, along with one irritated look.

"Witch?" asked several at once.

"I'm standing right here" Dead Master said sullenly.

"Yeah. It's easier to say than 'her kind' or something. Won't mix that up either" he explained. Several agreeing nods circled around, though Black Rock Shooter didn't look enthused with the new term.

Koko finally freed herself from Valmet's headlock to glare angrily at all of them.

"Did any of you brain dead idiots hear me? You're fired! All of you are getting off at the nearest port city when my ship gets there" she snarled frustratedly. Her words went unheeded as they all darted off to get ready, not even Jonah stuck around.

"Sorry Koko. We have to end this tonight, and there's no way in hell any of us are going to risk you" Valmet explained sorrowfully. Koko dropped her head to mutter every one of the many curses she knew, clenching her eyes shut to block her tears. She could only watch helplessly while they scrambled to retrieve weapons and ammunition, as well as getting the lifeboat operational once again.

 _For all my power I can't do a damn thing about this_ , she thought bitterly.

Compared to a scant week and a half earlier, the boat was in the water in less than five minutes. It's passengers scrambled down as fast as they could climb, incidentally accomplishing a new miracle: Black Rock Shooter didn't react to Dead Master for the first time they've ever seen. The latter still sent a glare at her (especially when they were crowded into being within five feet from each other) but she didn't respond, much less return it. She helped down the others, gingerly finding places for the numerous guns and even more numerous ammunition boxes. By the time Ugo fired up the engine the water line was dangerously close to the edge. The bullets especially weighed them down, but they weren't planning on returning with even a fraction of it.

Before they were off Koko sprinted up to the railing to shout down "All of you come back!"

Jonah looked up with a small smile, raising a thumb skyward. The lurch of sudden acceleration knocked him down, but he got the message across; it was enough for her.

No one spoke for the five minute ride to Roanapur's docks. Partly because of the roaring engine drowning out any words, partly so they could ready weapons. Magpul Masadas all around, though each of them had several additional loaded magazines in extra pouches. Ugo had the FN Minimi locked and loaded, Tojo had a grenade launcher, and R had an extra submachine gun. Only the two girls were ready at first, cheating via the distracting lights. The closer they got, the more smoke was carried by the wind to them.

Black Rock Shooter took a salt laden breath to steady her nerves, placing the cannon between her legs to make room. Out of concern she checked Jonah beside her, finding him staring dead ahead to the burning city. She didn't need to look in his eyes to know what he was thinking. That man, like Koko in too many respects for her to like, was behind this. He was going to be killed tonight, Jonah would either make it happen or die trying. She didn't understand why she was inwardly recoiling from that thought.

Ugo let off the throttle as they approached the nearest pier. It was abandoned, if there was any seagoing craft earlier there they were gone by now. Each of the humans checked their weapons one last time, flicking safeties off. Lutz and R had their guns up already, sweeping them around for movement. Finding none, they peeked behind them and nodded. The large man nodded back and eased the boat up the last few feet to it. R stood up on weak legs to hop ashore, making sure one more time before accepting a tossed rope to tie them to a post.

Lehm and Black Rock Shooter came up next, taking over his job of scanning the pier. Jonah followed her up, while Dead Master hopped up without so much as an ounce of concern. After her Ugo and Tojo crawled onto the deck, leaving Lutz by his lonesome. The horned girl planted the base of her large and glaringly obvious scythe (if it wasn't black it would've been much worse) onto the wood, watching as they proceeded to toss up ammunition for them.

"Good luck" Lutz wished quietly.

"Thanks. We're gonna need it" R agreed. Black Rock Shooter moved to take point, but Lehm put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Given the situation, I think it's better that I go first" he politely countered. She stared at him dispassionately for a moment, but she did allow him to go in front of her before raising her cannon, making sure to not point it at his back.

They went into a slow jog to cover ground quickly, Lehm leading while Jonah and Black Rock Shooter stayed behind him. R, Tojo, and Ugo kept behind them with two of the big guns, while Lutz did his best to cover them from the boat. A sullen Dead Master walked as she normally would, irritated at being left to the back and curious as to why they hunched over their guns and swept the barrels around repeatedly.

Halfway to the shore Lehm paused, making the short convoy stop behind him and give him a guarded look. In front of him was a body, sprawled over the pier face down. Gingerly he bent over to put a pair of fingers on his throat, finding no pulse yet a lot of heat. He took a breath before gently rolling the body over. The moment he saw the front of the dead man he sighed in relief. "Gunshot" he answered the unspoken question question before standing back up to move on. Each of them gave the poor man a look, ranging from pity at his state to determination to avenge him. Except for Dead Master, who had only contempt.

Once they reached the concrete sidewalk Lehm motioned for all of them to get down, searching for movement on the apparently empty (though far from silent) street. R came up next to him to finally bring up the gaping hole in his plan.

"Lehm? You really want to walk the whole way there?" he asked quietly. As if to underscore his concerns an explosion rang out nearby.

"I was kinda hoping there'd be a car here we could steal" the man agreed glumly.

No sooner did the words leave his mouth did Jonah and Black Rock Shooter suddenly come to attention with weapons raised. A second later a roaring engine of a car sounded out, complete with the squeal of burning tires. Everyone with a gun trained it on it's direction, stiffening when a red Nova convertible roared into view. The classic car drifted the corner while it roared their way. Something large and moving was hunched over the passenger side, making the car continually weave back and forth before the driver slammed on the brakes. Another was hanging onto the thin roof with what looked like a billowing coat.

The group of mercenaries wisely decided to tactically fall back to avoid being run over. It turned out to be unnecessary however; the car slid sideways until it came to a lurching stop, hitting the curb itself. Whatever was on the passenger side stayed in place, but the one on the roof slid off. The bundle of clothes rolled for a second before it untangled itself and maneuvered onto its feet, skidding a few more feet on the heels of her boots.

She wore a dress, design wise not dissimilar to what Dead Master wore. Instead of being pure black however it was striped with plenty of dark blue. Sensing movement, she turned her pale yet pretty face to the group, features blank with a silver spear in her hands. She grinned when they raised their weapons her way.

A loud blast from what was most certainly a shotgun sent the other one flying off the car in a spray of blood. Jonah didn't wait any longer; the first burst of gunfire she darted around easily, moving inhumanly fast. When R, Lehm, and Ugo opened up however that changed quickly. She jerked when the first hit, knocking her off balance enough for a few well placed shots to tear the girl apart. Briefly she actually left the ground before hitting the pavement again, still this time.

A loud curse reminded them of the other issue, making the mixed group turn their attention to the car. Both doors were flung open, revealing two locals: a chinese woman in jeans with a tee shirt, and a japanese man in a bartender outfit.

"Don't move" R ordered. Both of them jerked his way, the woman starting to raise the shotgun until she saw the half dozen rifles trained her way.

"Please, we're just trying to get out of here" the bartender pleaded. After a couple of seconds Lehm raised an eyebrow.

"Hold on, have I seen you before?" he asked. The man frowned before his eyes lit up.

"I remember you. You were with that really pale woman that wanted to meet with that stranger" he recalled. Lehm nodded and stood up, though he kept his weapon on them.

"If you're going to shoot than shoot us already damnit" the woman snapped, keeping her pump action shotgun close to her chest. Lehm and R exchanged a knowing glance.

"Tell you what, let us take your car and we'll give you a ride out of here" Lehm offered. The woman snorted.

"It's yours. But if you're looking for someone back there" she jerked a thumb to the glowing city center "Then forget him. He's dead meat by now" she claimed.

"She's right. Those things are killing everyone in sight" the bartender added. Dead Master, tired of being left out, trotted out from around the humans to see what the commotion was about.

The man's eyes went wide and he hurriedly backed away, while the woman ignored the gunmen to raise her shotgun to the girl with a snarl. Dead Master paid no attention to them, she was too busy looking over the car.

"There's one _right behind you!_ " the man exclaimed fearfully.

"Back off, this one's friendly" Tojo called out, before giving her another apprehensive look "Mostly."

"Fuck that" the woman snarled, pointing the gun at the horned girl with her finger on the trigger.

"Nice car" the target in question said appreciably, ignoring the gun pointed at her.

"This one's with us. Don't like it, then find another way outta here" Lehm offered flatly. Both of the people exchanged worried looks, wary of accepting after what they had witnessed. Finally the woman lowered her gun, grumbling obscenities. He grinned.

"Perfect. We'll be back in around an hour. If we aren't here, push off" he commanded to Tojo and Ugo.

"You sure?" the latter asked.

"Hundred percent. Don't get shot up yourselves, we do need a ride out" he joked.

"Alright. Careful guys" Tojo bade as the four jogged to the car, loaded down with ammunition. The woman glared at Black Rock Shooter when she swept by to the side of the car.

The two men fumbled for a moment before something popped, allowing Jonah and Rock to flip it off to clash against the ground. No sooner did they hop in (literally for the girl) did the engine again roar to life. With R behind the wheel, Lehm in the passenger seat, the kids in the back, and numerous spare magazines in reach, they were as ready as could be. Despite the pressing circumstances he couldn't help making the tires squeal in place before it shot off at high speed. Ugo especially watched them go with envy, frustrated at being the best one to steer their tiny craft.

"Alright, get back here. That means you too" Tojo directed to Dead Master, who turned to glare at him while the two locals jogged to them.

"What makes this one different?" the woman asked irritably, taking a place beside Tojo and Ugo rather than retreating to the boat as the man did. In contrast the horned girl sedately walked back to the new post.

"Um, perspective I guess. When I said friendly, I meant she won't kill us on sight" Tojo clarified.

"I would if I could. But now, thanks to that game, I now know many of your tricks. I now have the advantage of knowledge" Dead Master said loftily, twirling her scythe in the air with a smirk while she walked. The woman merely looked at the two men blankly, making Ugo sigh. Behind them the man returned, carrying a few dark green square objects.

"I knew showing her Battlefield was a bad idea" he murmured.

R skillfully weaved the car through the streets, coming up on the first bunch of newly christened refugees within a minute. A few waving guns made him step harder on the pedal that we would've preferred, given the quantity of debris lying in the road along with the occasional body. Now that they were in the thick of it the smoke from fires innumerable swept by them, making the four passengers grimace. Every couple of seconds there was either a gunshot or a scream, each one all too close.

Right as they passed an intersection filled with wrecked cars Jonah called out "Contact!" a heartbeat before pulling the trigger.

Lehm and R cursed. A group of three Witches broke off from hounding refugees to sprint after the Nova, running faster than any human. In an open field the Nova would've left them far behind with ease, but with the street's current condition he didn't dare go fast lest the car end up joining the debris scattered everywhere. Black Rock Shooter joined in, firing off blue bolts indiscriminately at their pursuers. If anything that made them run even faster at them, leaping over anything in the way with an ease that would leave an olympic gymnast crying in jealousy.

Jonah got lucky with one, striking her in the shoulder to allow Black Rock Shooter to blast her in the chest. Her two companions didn't so much as glance her way, they merely kept up the pace. Lehm groaned before switching around, putting his sights down on the two remaining hostiles. Unlike Jonah, his quick squeeze of the trigger hit the second of them in the chest, and she collapsed in a heap. The last Witch met her end by another shot from Jonah that hit her leg, again allowing Rock to blast her.

"Problem" R called out, and all three swiveled around. The moment they did Lehm swore tiredly. A large hunk of flaming metal, possibly a bus when there was daylight, blocked the straight road to the city center. In the distance, growing ever closer, was the hotel Tojo claimed Kaspar was in. It was a straight shot to the building, but thanks to the wreck R had to veer to the side for a detour. Jonah in particular scowled.

The four realized that was a mistake at the same time bullets began to whistle past them. Lehm bellowed "Get down!" though none of them listened. Black Rock Shooter and Jonah pointed their respective guns to the sides where the ambush was coming from and opened fire. In a few seconds they could hear screams, a number of them. Nevertheless several loud pings bounced off the car; without armor each one was potentially devastating. Black Rock Shooter realized they were shooting humans, ones that were likely just scared out of their wits. For a brief moment she hesitated, unwilling to kill those who were attacking them out of fear instead of malice. Jonah had no such qualms.

"Damnit" R swore, making the car lurch once again as he took another detour to get out of the killing field. It worked, soon the conventional gunfire tapered off to the omnipresent background noise. Just in case Lehm and Jonah sent a few more shots back at them.

In the next second something dropped onto the hood if the car. R had no warning; he slammed on the brakes in surprise. The thing slid several inches but stayed on, lifting it's head to show the Witch's grinning face to the humans. After laying on the gas he resorted to swerving back and forth to get the Witch off, to no avail. Her grip on the metal was too tight to be so easily dislodged. Lehm idly wondered where she came from, though he supposed she dropped from one of the buildings.

It didn't matter, in the next second he withdrew his SIG and pointed it over the windshield to pull the trigger. When the first shot missed he asked himself if he was losing his touch, the next shot that blew away a large portion of her head made him decide on a 'no' to that question.

Another Witch tried the same maneuver, this time jumping off of the hood after she landed and before Lehm could shoot her. By an odd quirk of fate her foot was caught by the windshield, making her gracelessly cartwheel to land right between Jonah and Black Rock Shooter in the backseat. Both looked at the girl in a white and pink frilly dress with astonishment, and she to them at the strange happenstance.

Things went back to the usual when the Witch lunged at Jonah first. The boy put his gun between them to block her, feeling the raw strength behind her as she tried to claw at him. Idly he wondered why she didn't summon a weapon, thinking that there wasn't room or time for one (that or she didn't have a CQC weapon). She was enough trouble on her own, almost ripping the gun out of his hands. Suddenly she jerked, and blood flecked against his struggling expression. He was confused until Black Rock Shooter shoved the warm body over the side of the car, her black sword sliding out with some blood stuck on.

"Thanks" he got out before bringing the Magpul back up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her nod. He didn't see the small smile that came with it.

R took another corner, discovering to his considerable surprise not just a long straightaway to the hotel but a mostly empty one at that. He marveled at the normally banal sight.

"Punch it" Lehm encouraged. He paused just long enough to make sure both of the kids were relatively secure before mashing the accelerator. For two seconds he contemplated making the tires squeal again, but given the awful situation he thought it best to not push his luck.

"Next stop, Kaspar!" he called out when they were sunk back into the seats, finally able to hit a decent speed to avoid the footslogging Witches.

A small building not far behind them exploded. Shattered bricks and twisted metal flew out in a cloud of debris, all of it flying in one way. R couldn't help looking into the rearview mirror, watching with morbid fascination as the remains of the building flew. To his experienced eye, there was something distinctively off about that explosion. For one, there was no fire. Two, while there was certainly a boom it was far too small to accomplish the task behind them.

The solution to the odd situation came first in the form of a concussive low pitched clicking noise, one that quickly picked up speed. The second form was the massive shape finally clearing the cloud of dust, getting back on a straight line after drifting through the 'obstacle', i.e. the building. A shape that was easily two stories tall, with six enormous insect like legs that pounded into the ground, with what was most likely two wheels held off on a small suspension, was mostly black and gold metal, and had a large grey orb with with a bonnet for a head. Again R couldn't keep his eyes off it, watching the bizarre vehicle accelerate after the Nova.

Out of all people, one of the last they expected to say "Shit" in a tight voice was Jonah. Despite the destroyed building and the roaring engine, it came across clearly.

"This is bullshit" R muttered. Several blocks away Tojo sneezed, inadvertently attracting some unwanted attention.

Black Rock Shooter was the one to knock them out of their shock, via pointing her cannon at the thing's 'face' and pulling her trigger as her finger could move. Blue bolt after blue bolt streaked out, only to splash harmlessly against the front. Lehm and Jonah emptied their magazines in seconds; normally full auto did nothing but suppression. With the size of their target however far fewer shots missed than what would traditionally happen. Unfortunately the bullets had even less effect on the crawler than the bolts.

"Hope someone has a plan!" R said loudly, switching between the road and the mirror. Chunks of asphalt went airborne when the thing's legs pounded into the road, bearing down on it's prey. Another time and R might have thought it was fascinating, a time when he wasn't in imminent danger of being shredded by the thing after them.

"Screw this" Lehm muttered. He stashed his Magpul on the floorboard by his feet to grab one of the contingency measures: a large sack of grenades, M67s to be specific, brought with them under the guiding principle of "Why not?"

Jonah ceased firing. To his chagrin, the two magazines he emptied into the crawler did nothing to slow it down. Black Rock Shooter was the only one having a visible effect on the accursed thing, the black scoring beginning to burn through to some moving parts underneath the plating. Being unable to help at all tore at him, making him growl in frustration. All the while it closed in, slowly but surely gaining on them. At least until something tiny and round flew over his head in the same direction as the machine.

An explosion boomed, a tiny one that was too far away from the crawler to do anything. Lehm cursed imaginatively.

"R! Can't you get away from this damn thing!?" he shouted.

"That thing's too fast! If I take a corner we'll flip the car, and if I slow down it'll catch us!" he shouted back. Again Lehm cursed.

Black Rock Shooter abandoned shooting at the crawler, suddenly dismissing her cannon to dive to the front. The man was startled for a second, until he realized she was going for the grenades. Against his better judgement he handed the bag over, grabbing a couple before they left his hands entirely. Seeing his opportunity Jonah dug in as well, fumbling past her hands for the tiny explosives.

"You better not be-ah hell" Lehm's eyes went wide when she proceeded to pull the pin and release the handle without throwing it, 'cooking' is what it was known as. The thing he and Wiley went out of their way to tell her never to do under any circumstances. Only a couple of heart stopping seconds passed before she finally threw it, putting more force into it them ever before.

Whatever she was calculating for time, she was just short. The grenade exploded in front of the crawler, blackening the armored head. However, it accomplished the first visible damage done to the machine. Whoever was behind the wheel of the thing veered to the side, the thus far straight line it had traced up until now was finally broken as it tried to right itself.

If her actions were foolish, then what Jonah was doing was madness. He grabbed two and popped their pins at the same time, lightly tossing both grenades off of the speeding car at the same time. Both explosives went off under the insect legs, damaging one on each side. At last the crawler slowed down a noticeable degree. Emboldened by his success, he had two more tossed out before any of them realized what was happening.

No sooner did they explode did the body of the crawler go up in a monumental fireball, the wave of heat buffeting the comparatively tiny car. The thing briefly tumbled, the back carriage visible to the car for the first time as it rose into the air, flying apart and consumed by fire as they watched. Bits of metal sailed through the air, from shrapnel sized to large chunks, every piece aflame. The already oppressive smoke was reinforced massively by the newest wreckage. Jonah gave the fresh grenade in his hand an astounded look.

Every bit that cascaded to the ground was streaming fire, except one. What looked like the crawler's wheel sailed through the air, clearing the smoke after a few seconds. Then it tilted, showing a small figure behind it. Black Rock Shooter was the first to go back on the offensive, summoning her cannon while Jonah brought his rifle up. The driver of the machine learned her lesson from the attackers, and she slid down another street, moving faster and more smoothly than anything on foot. They watched her go as she vanished from sight.

Another gunshot, a loud boom from a 50. Cal, made them refocus their attentions. The car jerked, a crumpled hole the size of a fist tearing into the hood. The engine began to falter, squeaking in ways that even the vehicle ignorant Black Rock Shooter thought was bad. After a few seconds the engine cut out completely, leaving the red Nova unpowered. They went further than they thought they would thanks to their speed, but in the end the once proud vehicle slid to a lazy coast, puttering along at a pathetic speed until it stopped.

Only then did R slam his head against the wheel, groaning in frustration while the boy and the girl watched in concern. Lehm was a step away from copying him when he looked around, discovering where they were.

"Hey, we're almost there" he commented. All three glanced around, discovering within seconds of each other the appointed building. R cracked a thin smile and rubbed his aching forehead.

"Getting back is going to be a problem" Jonah said as he jumped over the side, scanning with his Magpul for movement. Black Rock Shooter did the same with far more grace. At the moment, the street was deserted.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Alright, mag count" Lehm ordered.

The end result wasn't good. R had five spare magazines, Lehm three, and Jonah two. The spare bag of bullets they carried along had four more fortunately, Lehm and Jonah splitting it between them. Each one was still good on SIG ammo, but those didn't have the power or the rate of fire for anything greater than an emergency. To finish, there was five grenades remaining in the satchel. Each of them took one while Lehm took two, but he had to get a matter off his chest before they proceeded.

"Rock?" he said. The girl stopped herself from depositing the explosive in her pocket to look at him.

"Back there, cooking a grenade like that? That took guts" he complimented.

Black Rock Shooter grinned.

"For the love of god though, don't do that again. Losing a hand isn't fun" he admonished.

Black Rock Shooter frowned.

"So please, don't do it" he finished before hefting his rifle. She nodded, continuing to frown as she took up a position behind him.

Without a vehicle and with little ammo remaining, the four had to be careful. Lehm led the way, eyes and ears open for any threat. He ran fast and stopped frequently, keeping to the shadows whenever possible. Jonah kept his eyes on the buildings around him; there could be a sniper in every window as far as he knew. He wasn't going to let himself get struck down now, not when they were so close. The hotel was almost in reach.

He was focused on his surroundings, so much so that the pair of unnaturally blue eyes that watched him with growing concern went unnoticed. Black Rock Shooter mentally drew a parallel with Valmet when she was after Chen; she didn't expect to walk away from that quest alive, and without their help it was unlikely she would have. Jonah had the same vibe as her back then. She consoled herself that with them with him the same result would occur. He would be hurt and laid up for a while, but he would be fine. If she didn't sprain her ankle then everything would be perfect.

"Hold" Lehm softly announced, getting down before an intersection. His three companions dropped as well, sweeping around before looking ahead.

A burst of gunfire made three quarters of them inadvertently tense, with the following shots keeping them on their toes. It grew louder until it came into sight; a half dozen men running down the street, half turning back to fire while the others ran forward a distance, only to stop to return the favor. These men were different than the locals, they all wore the same outfit: dark green camouflage with dark vests. Each one moved with purpose instead of fear.

"Thai army" the older man turned to whisper. A witch darted into sight, moving swiftly with a ornamental black mace in one hand. She almost reached one of the running men before the covering soldiers cut her down in a brief hail of bullets. Several of them cursed, one of them grabbing a radio to angrily shout into it.

The four watched them for a moment before an APC rumbled into sight, the rear hatch dropping for the half dozen troops to pile in. A machine gun turret on the top fired at a target out of sight while the hatch closed, the small tank in motion before it was fully shut. The leader of the ad hoc kill team waited until the tank was fully out of sight before he waved them on to proceed. Beyond the ever present worry, crossing the street turned out to be fairly easy.

"Almost there" R said quietly. What few musings that were in their heads vanished, replaced with iron determination.

Lehm hugged a wall, inching closer to the edge and the street beyond. Infinite care went into his peek around the corner, to the three way intersection that announced the building's entrance. Remarkably, the place looked untouched. The lights were still on and unbroken as far as he could see. Even better, there were no guards in sight. The same could not be said about the front; he could see spent shell casings covering the ground, and a few derelict cars were left in the middle of the street. Again he grinned.

"Alright. We'll sweep around, check for traps. We've come this far, no reason to get sloppy now" he ordered. He glanced back, getting an understanding nod from each one. He nodded back and turned back ahead, sucking in a quick breath before darting around the corner, R after him, with Jonah and Black Rock Shooter behind him.

Something small and cylindrical flew through the air, too small for them to identify before it hit the ground. Three rifles and one cannon snapped to it, tense fingers on every trigger. While they looked at the small object, three more landed around them. Jonah wondered what they were until something clicked when the new ones landed, and they began to spill out white smoke. A whiff of one close to him reached out, immediately making him cringe. All around them the smoke enveloped them.

Tear gas, he realized.

Through his ragged coughing and burning eyes, he saw something black barreling at him seconds before what felt like a dump truck slammed into him. What little air in his lungs was violently forced out, and he went flying to land in a heap, mercifully out of the burning mist. The being wasted no time turning to Black Rock Shooter. She was in no better condition than he was, but nevertheless she let loose a bolt at the attacker. She dodged it easily.

She barely got her cannon up to block the vicious downward strike of the large masterly crafted sword in time, feeling the power of the blow nearly knock the weapon out of her hands. A metal fist slammed into her side, making her buckle. She realized that the blade was a distraction at the same time her attackers foot kicked her in the midsection and knocked her off her feet.

"Jonah!" R yelled, bringing his rifle up in spite of his watery vision. Before he could shoot the attacker fresh gunfire raked where he was standing. He abandoned the task to dive to cover, screaming a curse.

Lehm fired one round before he sensed an attacker closing in. His extensive experience was the only thing that let him parry the knife, grabbing his foe to force them both out of the gas. It worked; a brief struggle got them out of the immediate area to one of the buildings, where the attacker, a woman in combat gear and a gas mask, gained the upper hand. During the struggle he ended up with a knife to his throat, while he managed to put his sidearm under her chin. Neither moved for a moment until the woman paused to peel off the protective mask.

"Hey Lehm" she greeted. The man grunted unhappily.

"Chiquita" he answered tightly. R was huddled behind one of the cars while submachine bullets pounded his cover, cursing and scowling.

"How you doing?" she asked easily.

Lehm kicked his knee at her, something he knew she wouldn't fall for. It did imbalance her enough to break off to allow him to dart behind the wrecked car, a few pistol shots trailing uncomfortably close.

"I'm fine, yourself?" he yelled back, breathing hard and checking his sides. He watched the ongoing fight between Black Rock Shooter and her attacker helplessly.

"Good. Tad busy. Say, I've been meaning to ask. You still quit smoking?" Chiquita asked, very close by.

"Picked it back up. Stress" he answered.

"Really? Too bad" she shrugged.

"Living forever is overrated anyway" he replied before jumping up to empty his gun at where he was certain she was.

Jonah coughed, struggling to either get back on his feet or to aim his rifle. Black Rock Shooter summoned her sword as the attacker unclipped something behind her head with an oversized set of claws, letting her own gas mask to fall to the ground.

"Hi there" greeted a grinning Black Gold Saw.

Black Rock Shooter charged, firing off a bolt before closing in with the black blade. Black Gold Saw dodged out of the way of the shot but raised her own large sword to meet the smaller girl's. The two blades met with a resounding clash, both of them in a two handed grip and staring each other in the eyes. Rock's left eye burst into an ethereal blue flame while she bared her teeth at Gold Saw, who merely chuckled.

Jonah had his Magpul's sights lined up on her. His finger hand just curled around the rifle's trigger when he heard a loud whistle over the gunfire. Against his better judgement, he glanced over, and his pained breath caught in his throat. Standing right by the entrance with a bodyguard beside him and giving a small wave his way was the man responsible for the chaos around them, the man that destroyed his life. Fifty feet away, he grinned.

" _Kaspar_!" Jonah bellowed. Black Rock Shooter's composure fractured for a second.

A second that Black Good Saw exploited by swiping one of her hands to her waist, where a new belt rested. In one deft movement she unclipped the strap to bring her new possession up to point at the smaller girl's shoulder. It was a S&W 44. revolver, a close copy of a prop out of a movie she watched, though customized to suit her large hands via an expanded grip and missing a trigger guard. She realized what was going on too late to do anything about it. With a smirk she pulled the trigger.

Jonah heard the gunshot, but it didn't register. Neither did the sight of Black Rock Shooter falling back, mouth open but nothing but a silent exhale in place of a cry coming out. R was pinned down and shouting at him to get down, and Lehm was engaged with Chiquita. None of that reached him. All that mattered in that moment was Kaspar, standing back and watching everything with a smile.

He charged ahead, raining down abuse. But he didn't get far before something swept at him again. This time he met it, snapping the barrel of his weapon to her before she could slash at him. He was too late, she brushed it aside to uppercut him in the gut. Jonah faltered but didn't stop, though the rifle couldn't be used he still had his Browning. Her sword vanished, though the gun was still in her hand. That, more than anything else, hampered her.

Black Rock Shooter gritted her teeth, forcing back the pain. Her arm refused to function, the sword falling from her limp fingers to disintegrate against the ground. The damage was severe, even her own remarkable healing abilities would be pushed to the limits to deal with the injury. At the moment, none of that mattered. Jonah struggled against Black Gold Saw with all his strength, while she tried to grip his neck with her one free hand.

It was obvious she was playing with him. Whether from orders of Kaspar or for her own amusement, she wanted to take him alive. Black Rock Shooter was going to let that happen, not as long as she still drew breath. She raised her cannon, silently pleading for him to get away from her for just a second, enough to line up a shot. Pushing her weakening body back up, she set all of her focus on the struggle. A line of blood escaped the corner of her mouth. She didn't notice.

Jonah kicked her away at last. He went for his Magpul, something she knew she couldn't deal with easily. Seeing as she failed her objective, she fell back on her contingency. The revolver was brought around for one more task. Thanks to her reflexes, she beat the boy to the punch. He was too late to stop her. All of them, Lehm, R, Rock, they were all too late.

She pointed the weapon at his chest and pulled the trigger.

Jonah pitched backwards. The Magpul Masada tumbled from his limp fingers. Blood, his blood, flew out as the bullet tore into his stomach.

Black Rock Shooter stopped breathing. She stopped moving. She stopped charging the cannon. No longer did the gunfire or the explosions or the screams reach her ears. In that instant, everything in her entire world narrowed down to the sight before her. Nothing else existed but the sight of Jonah, falling in reverse from the gunshot to his torso. On his face was an expression of the purest surprise. He hit the ground and twitched for a second, then he was still.

On the edge of her attention Black Gold Saw heard something and darted off back to Kaspar. Chiquita, Edgar, Allan, Poe, they all fell back silently to her, firing in her direction. Lehm ran from his cover to grab R, dragging the struggling man away while he screamed the boy's name.

Black Rock Shooter dropped her cannon. Unable to think, she limped to Jonah's side. The bullets that zoomed by inches from her went unnoticed. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed by the fallen boy. All the while, she feverishly hoped what was in front of her was an illusion.

She knew. She'd seen enough dead humans to know the truth. The hole in his stomach that freely leaked blood was fatal. His face looked dazed, the spark of life in his eyes vanished.

Ragged gasps escaped Black Rock Shooter's throat. In front of her was Jonah. Dead. His life was gone, like so many others. He was her comrade. Not once did he resent her presence. Never did he insult her. He was her friend, one she knew she could count on when there was no one else. If she had a question, he would answer as best as he could. If she needed help, he would do as much as he could.

Slowly, her shaking hands stretched out to gently lay against his chest. In that moment she asked herself, _why am I feeling this?_ She didn't know. Only, she did know. She knew the truth long ago, and like a fool she didn't even realize it.

Because she loved him.

All the doubt and fear was swept away. The pure unvarnished truth was in front of her. It was like a dam breaking; all of the emotion she kept repressed gushed out in a wave that threatened to down her. Tears flowed from her eyes, falling to dabble against his dirty shirt. She loved him, she loved him with all of her hear and she was too afraid to admit it to herself. Fear that her feelings would be rejected, that he would betray her love.

That wasn't going to happen now. Jonah was dead. Black Rock Shooter sobbed, her voice silent. Unable to tell him how she felt. Her hands fell away from his body. As she squeezed her features shut, pebbles and small debris around her began to quiver and move on their own accord, by the power that was beginning to flow.

She threw her head back and screamed.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm curious, how many of you saw that coming last chapter? Most I bet.**

* * *

It began with a ripple. A wave seemed to roll through the ground, fast yet near silent. For many of the surviving people of Roanapur, the only hint they received of the event was a slight shake in the ground itself. Given that most of them were too busy fighting for their lives or dying, it went unnoticed amongst them. Of the so-called Witches that now infested the city, they noticed the ripple. A great number of them halted their slaughter, pausing to look towards the city center. Unlike the humans, they knew what it was.

Within a few hundred yards of the epicenter, a shockwave raced out. Those buildings of poor construction shuddered and collapsed into a cloud of dust, adding to the thick atmosphere. Even the stronger structures rattled dangerously, the few living occupants remaining wondered despairingly what other trials would come their way tonight. To those closest, they heard a distant scream proceed the shake.

One group of six had just made it to their escape vehicle when the wave hit. Three of the men were nearly tumbled off their feet, while the woman managed to stay up and keep her boss off the ground at the same time.

"The hell?" Chiquita said confusedly, glancing back to the strange conflagration they just left while she released her boss.

"I have no idea" Kaspar said, doing the same as he regained his footing. Until a large claw grabbed his shoulder and nearly threw him into the SUV. He grunted in surprise while Edgar, Poe, and Allan snapped her way with their P90s not exactly pointed her way. The woman instead just sent a nonplussed glare her way. A month's time had passed but that didn't mean they trusted her entirely.

"Go!" Black Gold Saw shouted, beginning to repeat the process on the other humans but pausing when the guns were firmly pointed at her. Chiquita was annoyed, yet she was also starting to get nervous.

"Why?" she demanded. The moment her face looked her way Chiquita went over the borderline into full worry.

In the month or so Black Gold Saw had been among them she had always possessed an air of patronizing good cheer. Now, her eyes were wide, her movements were frantic, and her breathing was close to panting.

" _She_ is here. We have to go _now_!" Black Gold Saw nearly screamed, utterly terrified.

* * *

A scream, distant and loud, reached his ears. One second R was running along being pushed by Lehm, the next the ground began to shake. He knew the procedure for getting through earthquakes, but since he was in a sprint he didn't have time to react. His footing slipped, and he was caught by an inconvenient rock. Oddly enough the fall to the pavement seemed to go in slow motion from his perspective. He even had time enough to note a pattern of pebbles on the ground before he slammed onto it, his arms up (empty from dropping his Magpul in the firefight) just in time to protect his face.

He gasped in pain, coming from what felt like the front of his entire body. However badly he wanted to stay down and deal with it, he had to get back up. So with a rough groan he pushed himself back up, getting his torso off the ground first in preparation of getting back on his feet. For a second he breathed, getting his complaining nerves under control before moving on. When he looked up, he discovered a leathery hand waiting for him. During this the scream was forgotten.

"C'mon, we have to move" Lehm said neutrally. R's expression morphed into a scowl as he took the proffered help, noting the man's own rifle slung over his back.

"Any idea what that was?" he asked, ignoring the expression as he helped him up.

"No" R answered tightly.

"Too bad, but we have more important things to worry about at this point. Okay, the docks are east. We have about" he glanced at his watch, ignoring the other man's glare "Half an hour before they leave. Or come in after us, either or. So we'll need a car. What?" he asked at last. Nearby there was a burst of gunfire, adding to the cacophony of the dying city.

"We have to go back" he stated flatly. Lehm stared at him, features neutral.

"No, we don't" he answered in kind.

R curled his hand into a fist. There were very few points in his life he wanted to hit someone more than now, especially since this was his longtime friend.

"Why?" R questioned through clenched teeth, his voice icily cold.

"No point" Lehm answered. He began to walk away in search of transportation, but the younger man forcibly grabbed his arm to yank him around.

"No point?! Jonah was hit! And Rock's still there!" R shouted. Lehm merely stood there, crossing his empty arms. In the chaos around them, his shouting would be ignored with some luck.

"You saw what happened. They're gone. Going back is suicide" he stated.

R snarled and threw a punch. For a man that was getting close to fifty, Lehm was surprisingly fast; he was able to dodge the clumsy fist easily, knocking R off balance.

"You bastard, they'd come back for you!" he snapped when he righted himself.

"And I'd make it clear it was a mistake, whether I was alive or not" he answered at once.

"Bastard" R repeated angrily, turning back for another attack.

"Soldiers die. They knew the risks R. We all did. So how about instead of going back for a pair of bodies, we get the hell outta here. We find Kaspar, and we kill the sonofabitch" he stabbed a finger at the younger man, features akin to stone.

R looked unconvinced. Just as Lehm started to consider harsher measures, the italian lowered his arms to his sides.

"Good. Now, look around for a car. We have to move" Lehm ordered. R nodded testily.

Lehm debated which direction to go before deciding that to the ocean was the best bet anyhow, taking off in a measured jog. Seeing as he was now lacking a weapon, R resorted to his SIG. Against a Witch it wouldn't do much good, so he kept an eye out for a gun on the ground as well as searching for a car. Given the circumstances a junk rifle was better than none. Until then he was staying behind Lehm, who had taken point for the both of them. Silently he wished a nervous sniper would take him out.

The two stayed close to the buildings, never straying too far from shadows or cover. When a another rattle of gunfire went off dangerously close, both men ducked down behind the wreckage of a car. A tense had minute passed when the gunfire was abruptly cut off. Lehm and R exchanged guarded glances with each other before the former nodded and got back onto his feet. Scattered around them were wrecks of cars, some burnt out, some clearly wrecked.

An intersection was close by; with luck a working car was near. Lehm had begun to hope for one when a figure lazily slid out from one of the streets into the middle, making him stop in his tracks.

"What's wrong-oh shit" R muttered, widening his eyes. The figure resolved itself as a young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen.

Seeing the black, yellow, and white dress she wore made Lehm bring the Magpul up. When she turned her head their way, he could see a number of details that made his mood considerably worse, such as the metal crown on her head, or the black gauntlets for hands, or the artfully designed wheels in place of feet. Her disturbing smile made up his mind; he trained the sights on her chest and pulled the trigger.

 _Clack_.

Lehm frowned, looking at the weapon. Doubt wormed it's way into his mind as he checked the slide, discovering with relief the presence of a bullet.

"Well? What's wrong?" R demanded nervously, aiming his seemingly tiny handgun at the Witch. She lazily turned and began to roll their way, the wheels moving instead of her legs. To the man, the sliding movement seemed more unsettling than her appearance.

"It jammed. This is literally the first time this happened since I switched to this rifle. Weird" Lehm answered perturbedly. The girl raised her metal hands outwards for the familiar (yet now anxiety inducing) light show that heralded imminent danger.

The older man wisely began to step backwards, fumbling with the weapon in a discreet and desperate attempt to get it working again. R grimly followed along, trying to find something positive about the situation, without much success. The Witch's lights coalesced into two weapons: in one hand was a strange but not unexpected item, a yellow tinted serrated edged sword. In the other an enormous circular shield formed from the lights, the black metal covered with innumerable patterns. It's appearance jogged R's memory for a moment, and he snapped his fingers when he remembered. Lehm nearly jumped at the sound.

"Thought so. I'm pretty sure this was our friend from the spider walker thingy" he told him. Lehm nodded, frowning.

"Uh, neat I guess. Hope she doesn't remember us" he said lowly.

The Witch shot towards them. With wheels for feet, she was able to eat up the distance far quicker than either man would've guessed. R was only able to squeeze off two shots; the first missed, and the second bounced off the slab like shield. In the nick of time he leaped out of the way, Lehm somehow doing the same in the other direction. Her wild grin morphed into a scowl as she blasted by the two men, her sword's wide arc missing him by inches.

Again R hit the ground, this time accomplishing a brief roll to end up in a crouch. Both his hands were held in her direction, clutching the SIG like his life depended on it (he did his best to not dwell on the fact that it did). On the periphery of his vision he saw Lehm in a crouch as well, going for his own sidearm. In seconds both weapons were pointed down range, in the same direction the Witch took.

Meanwhile the girl skidded to a halt thirty yards away, almost doing the splits as she spun back around with a snarl on her lips. The point of her sword, impractical for anyone or anything else, traced a gouge in the asphalt and sending up fresh debris. Her shield clanged against the ground, steadying her while she brought herself back up. R and Lehm held their fire, preparing for another charge.

All of a sudden, the Witch's scowl vanished. Her features perked up, and her crowned head swept around behind her. Even from as far as they were, both men could hear the surprised gasp that escaped her. The older man contemplated taking the shot to deal with her now while she was distracted. But just as he lined up his sights onto her, she took off at them again. Two gunshots, one from each man, rang out.

Somehow, both bullets missed their target as she blazed past them. R was the first to realize that lights were flashing down her sword arm, from her weapon dissipating mid charge. He discovered a second later he was wrong, when she didn't slow down. Like a roller skater she leaned down to almost touch the pavement during her turn, veering around to disappear around a corner. Chancing a glance, R turned his head to confirm his suspicions: Lehm appeared just as baffled as he was.

"...What just happened?" he asked as he returned to his feet. The older man shook his head.

Against his better judgment, Lehm looked back the same direction the Witch looked.

"Oh" he said calmly.

R slowly turned his head around. He blinked, uncertain if what he was seeing was real or not. If it was, then there was a figure approaching them at a sedate pace. One of medium height, dark of dress, and pale of skin. He abandoned keeping an eye on the direction of the fleeing Witch to twist around fully, preparing to face whoever it was fully. When they were finally close enough for him to pick out loose details, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey Rock!" R bellowed her way, waving an arm to get the odd girl's attention. Now identified, she continued on her way at the same pace as before. Lehm frowned.

"R..." he warned, bringing his pistol to bear. R sent a fresh glare his way when he noticed.

"The hells gotten into you? She's hurt, we have to...have to..." R trailed off when he looked back.

Faraway and coming closer, he could see Rock raised her arm while she approached. Held on it was the profile of her cannon, though it seemed off from his distance. His instincts kicked in barely a second before a stream of glowing slivers reached him. As he dived to the ground, he idly noted the tracer like shots were purple rather than the customary blue. He kicked himself and refocused on staying alive.

Lehm ducked behind a wrecked car and started shooting. The fire cut out, but from what R could see she made no attempt to move out of the way. He began to crawl to the opposite side of the street, wondering if he was wrong and this wasn't the quirky girl he had come to know and befriend over the past few months. Shaking his head, he steadied his nerves for when she got closer.

Even with the distant noise of Roanapur's demise; the fires, explosions, gunfire, and distant screams, R could hear the girl's steps on the pavement. At first it was impossible to differentiate between them and the background noise. As she got closer however, it became distinguishable in it's own right. He waited until she was almost upon them to expose himself for a shot.

R froze. The being that was close to being between him and Lehm looked like Black Rock Shooter, only not.

Her mid thigh boots were replaced by gleaming black armor, stretching up just beyond her knees. Her jacket was gone, a black garment that looked eerily like a flak jacket covered the top of her torso instead, akin to a set of armor. Three short black chains dangled from the midpoint of her back, one connecting to her cannon. Her left arm was replaced entirely by a robotic limb, ending with short but vicious claws for fingers. When she turned her head to him, he could see that a lump of plating was attached to her head, covering half of her scalp and shadowing one eye.

What made him truly afraid was her now purple eyes. Suddenly he was back in Belgium, in a hotel corridor with Valmet while he was staring down a being from another world.

There was no emotion in Black Rock Shooter's eyes, only measured awareness.

She raised her cannon his way, it too now disfigured. It was larger, the one large barrel was now host to a triangular bayonet, with six tiny glowing holes surrounding it. R ducked back down as she fired, narrowly avoiding not by her speed, but by his own shock. The shots, the same as the ones fired earlier when he was certain it wasn't her, tore into his thin cover. Over the whining roar of the corrupted weapon he heard a couple of tiny pops.

The thing that was Black Rock Shooter paused in her attempt to kill R and looked in the opposite direction. Lehm leaned out of his cover and fired once more, his aim centered. This bullet went exactly where he wanted it to go, at the chest in order to incapacitate her. Once she was down he would kill her as quickly and as painlessly as possible, a quick death was the least he could give her. He shoved his regrets aside for the time being, silently promising to tell her sorry before he pulled the trigger.

The 9mm bullet hit her her in the sternum...

And bounced off with a ping.

She didn't even flinch. Her expressionless face merely stared his way, not reacting at all to his look of complete shock. What she did do was leisurely swing the massive weapon around to his direction. In a faint and somewhat perverse way, Lehm was relieved she did that. He knew how to deal with someone shooting at him, not things like ignoring what should've been a lethal wound.

R was just as shocked as Lehm, not believing that what he just saw was possible. But the evidence was in front of him, as if daring for him to refute it. His first impulse was to shoot to get her away from him, but he stopped himself. His weapon was going to get her attention and little else. Seeing an opportunity, he took off running down the street while she blasted Lehm's cover. For just a second he saw the man's expression, and he relished the shocked betrayal written all over it.

Once he reached a new wrecked car to hide behind, R had a stroke of good luck: there was an AKS in excellent condition lying on the ground. After yanking it out of it's former owner's grip he checked the magazine and grinned at the full load. Only a few seconds later he popped over the top and began firing off in bursts at his corrupted comrade. In the intervening time she had ceased shooting to advance on the stuck man, but now she paused to look at him.

A tiny part of him hoped that the stronger rifle bullets would have more effect on her. Unfortunately a slight jerk from where the rounds struck seemed to be all they could do. She did however take her attention off of Lehm to focus on him, her gaze never changing. R congratulated himself for his brilliance before it occurred to him that she was coming for him now, and he had no way to stop her.

He ran, sparing an anxious glance backwards. For his efforts he was nearly shot down on the spot.

"Stop there!" bellowed a voice from a loudspeaker. R jerked his head back around, discovering with utter astonishment the sight before him.

Easily thirty men and women, each one decked out in green camouflage and combat gear, were arrayed around the corner of the intersection by several humvees. To his experienced eye they were set up to provide multiple lines of fire in every direction. Also to him he could tell they were not happy people, judging by the hard expressions of the ones closest to him. If that didn't tip him off, the dozen rifles pointed at him made it perfectly clear.

"Drop the weapon!" the loudspeaker commanded. R glanced back the way he came, his eyes widening in alarm.

Ignoring the speaker he took off in a dead sprint across from the unit, not stopping even when a few of them fired warning shots at his feet. R took another corner, looking for Lehm and finding a small car in decent condition instead.

* * *

Lieutenant Dang Kulap was not a happy man. The thirty five year old officer was not happy for a variety of reasons, many stemming from his name, but mostly centered on the situation that was aptly termed a "Clusterfuck" by popular vote.

"Sir, do we pursue?" his aide, a sergeant, asked carefully. He shook his helmeted head, wondering what had that man was in such a hurry.

"Negative. Keep moving to the rally point" he commanded, forgetting the issue. The sergeant nodded and relayed his orders, making what remained of his and another platoon move out into the intersection the white man came from. Every one of his remaining soldiers was on edge, all of them keeping a wary eye out for the vicious monsters that infested this wretched place.

At noon that day Fifteenth Division Headquarters received warning of a possible large scale terrorist attack in one of their cities, initially bringing out an uproar to deal with it. Rumors of who tipped off HQ spread around, from American CIA to the Thahan Phran. Regardless of whoever did it, the brass calmed down when they narrowed down the location: Roanapur, the criminal capital of Southeast Asia. Three battalions were moved into position around the city by sunset, waiting for the word.

Many of the soldiers in his platoon wondered aloud why they were preparing for an attack, one that seemed too organized to have been put together so soon. Like most of the officers in the Division, Kulap knew the answer. The government had been planning an assault on Roanapur for the past thirty years, seeing the pit as an embarrassment to the country's reputation. However, they had held off on a formal invasion for quite some time. Officially it was because the risk of most of the criminal elements escaping before the army arrived and merely setting up shop somewhere else.

Unofficially, and what he had been swore to never reveal to anyone else, there was the risk of the divided factions within the city uniting to battle the invaders. Best case scenario, it would be a bloodbath for both sides. Worst case, the slim possibility they could actually win. If word escaped that the army was defeated by gangsters, the central government could kiss it's international respect goodbye, along with any faith the people had in them. The last thing Kulap's country needed was another coup.

At the moment none of that mattered. The moment the fires began his platoon received orders to enter the city and reconnoiter the situation, use of deadly force authorized. After dropping from their helicopters his motorized platoon moved out, shortly encountering one of the last things he expected: a young girl, with a bizarre outfit and oddly colorless skin. The one private that was bold enough to approach her was sliced in half by a red toned scythe. It nearly killed three more before the rest of his men opened fire and cut her down.

Kulap's mission was formally abandoned twenty minutes after they landed; a third of his thirty five man platoon was slaughtered by all manner of different weapons wielded by those monsters. Even after picking up survivors of another recon platoon, he hadn't changed his mind. His only concerns were getting to the rally point to call in an evac and keeping his men alive, everything else was unimportant. The monsters, dubbed Witches by the few college students in the unit, weren't making things easy. They were fast, heavily armed, and utterly relentless. One or two of his soldiers had hesitated at shooting young girls like dogs; they became examples to the rest of the men.

"Tango, three oh clock!" a private yelled, his Tavor snapping to attention down the street. Kulap was knocked out of his musings to focus on his command.

Fortunately he discovered a simple tactic for dealing with the Witches: at least five rifles opening up on the same target at once did the trick more often than not. They were freakishly agile, but all it took was one or two lucky shots to bring them down. Finding the lucky bullet was burning through his ammunition supplies faster than he would've liked, but he wasn't in the mood to experiment for new solutions, not when his men's lives were on the line.

"Target sighted, Tango Whiskey!" another soldier confirmed, bringing his own rifle up. Kulap quietly sighed and took his position behind the lead humvee with the few others taking cover, looking down the sights of his own Tavor (he landed not expecting to use it, how wrong he was). He had taken a shine to the Israeli made gun, even if in his heart he still preferred his old M16.

"What the...?" Kulap muttered. Internally he answered his question at why the lone white man was running.

This Witch was different from the others. Not necessarily by appearance; with black metal covering her shins, a vest of sorts, and what looked almost like a helmet atop her head, she had much more armor than the 'normal' Witches they'd encountered thus far. The cannon like weapon she held by her side that was almost as long as she was tall was a concern, but again it wasn't too unexpected. Neither was the metal plated arm that seemed almost like a machine.

What had Kulap on edge was the way she moved. Every Witch they encountered shared a basic pattern when it came to attack. They ran tactically, going from cover to cover to avoid his men's guns, or charged straight ahead regardless of the danger. Those with ranged weapons never stayed still to fire, they were always on the move. No matter what they did, each one moved with flowing swiftness, faster than anything natural that he knew of.

This one marched to them. A measured pace, neither cautious nor rushed, never deviating from the straight line to the platoon.

"Taking the shot" a private beside him said. He waved a careful hand at them, keeping his eyes on the target.

"Hold your fire, something's wrong with this one" he ordered grimly.

"Tango Whiskey, nine oh clock!" another soldier yelled.

Kulap cursed. He swung his rifle around, looking for the fresh target. In a second he spotted it; it was a climber. That type didn't attack from the ground, they liked to scale buildings to pounce on their prey. This one was more in line with what he expected: a purple long coat with hot pants and a corset, with foot long blades in place of fingers. A few of his troopers opened fire on the thing before it reached them, doing nothing but waste ammo. It ran and leaped from windows and the fire escapes, going above the platoon before jumping into the void.

Overshooting them entirely.

The purple Witch landed a few feet in front of the humvee and took off in a dead sprint, not giving the Thai soldiers so much as a backwards glance. This time Kulap was dumbstruck. He blinked in shock when he realized what it was going for. The armored Witch stopped her forward approach to stand still, not reacting at all to the one on an obvious attack run. The purple Witch snarled and leaped, blades out to slice.

Faster than Kulap could track the armored Witch moved. She jerked forward and shot her arm out, clasping the smaller Witch by the throat mid lunge. It's legs swung with it's momentum, briefly moving like a pendulum. With a fresh snarl the smaller one slashed the blades at her arm. Though a distance away, the Lieutenant could see something that chilled him: the arm holding her was the fleshy one, but the smaller one's claws merely scrapped off as she struggled.

Her pigtailed head tilted a few degrees to the side, watching her arms fruitlessly paw at her while the Witch's whole body squirmed. Finally her arm twitched, and even from as far away as he was Kulap heard a wet crack. The purple Witch's squirming suddenly stopped, her body going slack a second later. The Witch gave the girl one more look before throwing the limp body to the side, letting her land with a wet smack without another glance. One of his soldiers quietly swore under her breath.

Her gaze turned back to them, with no obstacles between her and the platoon.

"Form up!" Kulap bellowed, waving directions around for the men "Third and Fourth platoon, all guns on target!"

"Sir?" the humvee driver went in confusion. The armored Witch began to walk to them, apparently in no hurry.

"Get on the machine guns!" he shouted angrily.

Beside him the gunner grimaced. His predecessor was covered in a tarp in the back, with some blood seeping around the covering to stain the floorboards. Nevertheless, orders were orders. He left his rifle on the floor and crawled up into the cupola, going through the mental checklist. Grimly the gunner looked at the steel plates that flanked the heavy machine gun, sourly remembering the bulletproof armor didn't help the previous man from that thing with those tiny knives.

In a few seconds he moved the turret to aim down the street, the M2's sights lined up with the walking Witch. Once he had his hands on the buttons the gunner felt a little better; 12.7 millimeter rounds could tear through everything but tank armor, surely they wouldn't have too much trouble against this one target? The gunner gave the massive slide a satisfying rack backwards, just in time for something to thump onto the roof beside him.

The gunner froze. Slowly his head turned to the side, mouth quivering. What looked like a sixteen year old girl with a leather jacket and a long mane of blonde hair was perched with one gauntleted fist on the roof, staring ahead. She turned her own head to the side, locking her blue gear inlaid eyes with the gunner's plain brown ones. It was an open question who was more surprised, the human or the Witch.

"Lieutenant?" the gunner called out hoarsely.

Kulap was busy getting every one of his men focused on the target, so when the gunner yelled he was ready to chew him out. One look at the man and he changed his mind. The Witch glanced at him and the other soldiers, looking ready to pounce. Yet it didn't; it stayed in place, it's gaze drifting away. To the same direction that he was directing his men to.

"Tango six oh clock!"

"Whiskey nine oh clock!"

"Climbers! I count three!" went the cries of his men. Kulap swept his head around, his worst fears realized. In just a few seconds he counted nine different Witches surrounding his platoon, moving with that darting agility that had him on edge. Another few showed up far down the street, on the far side of the armored Witch.

But none of them attacked. He glanced back at the blonde one, catching it in time for the girl to jump off of the humvee to land beside it. The few men closest to her jumped back and swung their weapons at the beast against his orders. Kulap realized something when he saw her face; unlike the majority they'd encountered so far, there was no demented smile or vicious snarl on her features. There was only the look of hard determination, fixated on the same thing his platoon was.

The lieutenant gulped, wondering if his men would follow the next order he gave. In their place he wouldn't.

"Ignore the Witches, concentrate fire on that Tango" he commanded. As expected those closest to him jerked to him with shock, balking at the order.

"But sir!" the sergeant protested.

"Look around, they're not interested in us right now. If they think that thing is a bigger problem than us, then we'd better take it down asap. Understood!?" Kulap explained tightly.

Judging by the expressions of the troops closest to him, they weren't buying it. When Kulap put his sights downrange back in the armored Witch, they reluctantly did the same. Many of them keeping their eyes on the foes around them as well. On their end the monstrous girls no longer paid them any mind; the blonde maned one brushed passed the nervous soldiers, ignoring their glares and curses to get close to the front line.

"Alright, all guns in range! Three!" Kulap yelled. The armored Witch paused, looking at the numerous foes surrounding her with dead eyes.

"Two! One! Open fire!" Twenty nine assault rifles opened fire at the same time. No less than eight weapons not of human manufacture spat out lights, bullets, and tiny rockets. All of them at the same target.

The Witch ran. In the blink of an eye she was upon the first humvee, the massive weapon at her side. She cleared the top of the vehicle easily, taking off the head of the gunner and plopping down between two surprised riflemen. Her arm swung out, backhanding the first one and sending him flying. The second soldier was cut in half by the cannon's blade before he could scream. In the process the edge of the bayonet slammed against the side of the vehicle, rocking it hard enough to make the wheels clear the ground by easily a foot.

She swung the cannon in a wide arc, a hail of slivers erupting from the end. Body armor did nothing to stop the fire, and a dozen more soldiers were cut down in a fraction of the time.

The lieutenant barked an order and opened fire from a few feet away. The rifle spat death at her, only for her to snap her head to him, looking only slightly annoyed rather than hurt. She closed the gap in a heartbeat, a cruelly designed jagged sword taking it's place in her hands from the second chain. One slash swept him off his feet and took off one of his legs, and the next threw him back down missing an arm.

Before the officer hit the ground she swung it around behind her, beheading the blonde Witch before she could land a punch. While the girl collapsed she darted to the next humvee, effortlessly weaving around the machine gun's fire. A few soldiers around the vehicle panicked and sprayed indiscriminate rifle fire her direction, unable to comprehend that it wasn't doing anything to her.

A readjustment in her stance mid charge and her armored shoulder was put forward. It slammed into the humvee, making one side of it leave the ground entirely. While it was up she pushed forward, tilting the three ton vehicle until it tipped over to slam against the ground. A glance at the few humans by her and the chain sprouting from her back rippled, gently lifting the heavy cannon up to point at them. They made it a few paces before she cut them down.

The jagged sword left her hand, held aloft by the second of the chains sprouting from her back. For all of two seconds she listened, using her hearing to make a note of everything in the vicinity.

Her gaze snapped to the side. The humvee she passed over at first squealed as it swung around, the driver's furious expression visible through the windshield. With the armored grill facing her the man floored on the accelerator. Three tons of armored transportation roared her way. She stayed in place, watching neutrally as the screaming vehicle as it tried to run her over.

A few feet away from connecting she finally weaved out of the way, catching a look of impotent rage from the driver as the vehicle slammed into the flipped humvee. It crashed mightily, the front crumpling a little from the impact. From her vantage point she could watch with clinical detachment as the driver flew into the dash and went still. Alive or unconscious, she didn't really care.

One minute had passed since the lieutenant had ordered his men to open fire, rightly recognizing the danger. Whether the soldiers knew it or not, the back of their force was broken. A few fell back, moving methodically while they applied covering fire. Most however chose to go down fighting. For the many Witches still in sight, the thought of fleeing never crossed their minds.

A squad of soldiers opened fire on her from the cover of the flipped car, never relenting even while they watched the bullets simply bounce off of her. One didn't shoot, he drew back and threw something overhand. Ignoring the gunfire that pelted her skin, she tracked the tiny olive toned object fly to the air in her direction. Catching the egg like object was rather simple, but once it was in her hand she immediately tossed it away into the cabin of the wrecked humvee. A second later the interior thumbed, the windows shattering and debris flew out.

For just a moment the being was puzzled. The impulse to get rid of the thing came from somewhere deep within her, beneath her conscious thoughts. How did she know that it would do that?

She asked herself that question while she lunged into the group of five, her two weapons trailing behind her on the writhing chains. She didn't bother with them for this group. To their credit they didn't try to flee, though perhaps they knew it wouldn't matter anyway. A punch took off the head of the first, a backhand crushed the second into the wrecked car, the third was swept off her feet to get her chest pulverized into the ground, the fourth was kicked hard enough to shatter most of his torso, and the last she crushed his skull.

No sooner did the last one leave her hands did she flip around to meet the oncoming blade of the Witch, slapping it aside and delivering a punch that tore through her unarmored chest. A mace from another Witch tried to avenge her sister's death, but she caught it mid swing to yank it out of her hand, swinging it hard enough and fast enough to break her neck before she could escape. Another stayed back a ways to fire off bullets from a AK-74 taken from the cooling hands of her last victim; a burst of fire from her cannon ended that.

The chains obediently brought the corrupted cannon back to her hands, where she once again wrapped her hand around the trigger grip. She began to walk once more in no hurry, systematically swinging the barrel around to fire at anything still left alive. A Witch was shot down as she charged. Two soldiers died trying to flee. Another rifleman fell after attempting to get on the M2.

Two minutes since the lieutenant opened fire, and now the only things moving was her and a few fires in the nearby building. She surveyed the destruction she had wrought, again becoming puzzled. Something within her stirred, attempting to rouse some kind of feeling for the sight. Yet it didn't form, it withered and faded quickly. Try as she might, she could feel no emotion for the dead around her. Hate, satisfaction, pity, there was nothing.

Fortunately for her state of mind a ragged sputter of a cough knocked her out of her thoughts. Glancing around, she spied the man she had thought died when she attacked, a lieutenant if his pipings were anything to go by. Despite missing an arm and a leg, he was still holding onto life. Underneath him was a growing puddle of blood, which he apparently ignored since he was busy gasping out words into a small thing attached to his chest. She guessed that he had at most minutes left to live, so she decided he wasn't worth the effort.

While her eyes left him they spotted something that made her do a double take, grabbing her attention like nothing else. A few steps brought her above it, and her single unoccupied chain slithered down to wrap around it, gently prying it away from it's owner. She blinked, suddenly knowing what it was called. An M60 SAW, chambered for seven six two millimeter by fifty one millimeter NATO rounds. Again she asked herself how she knew what it was.

"Charlie...three...on...my...position..." the dying human sputtered.

The chain curled around the stock of the M60, imbedding itself within the gun. A wave of purple flames spread out from the chain, slowly encompassing the entire object. Grey metal and plastic was consumed, replaced by glossy black metal. Small spines sprouted from the edges after the flame. In a few seconds the gun was converted; it still retained the basic appearance, but now it was corrupted, a cross between human and her.

"Hey...don't you...run away...from me" wheezed Kulap. She ignored him, focused on the weapon instead.

With a satisfied nod she turned and walked away. A few steps later a gunshot sounded, and a bullet pinged off of her back. She paused and slowly turned her head around. The lieutenant had his M1911 pistol up, the barrel twitching from his shaking hand. She changed her mind and stalked back to him, the sword rising up to strike. Kulap grinned.

However, she froze before the blade killed him. Something on the edge of her senses was warning her of danger.

Without being sure of why, she darted out of the way. Less than a second later the lieutenant and everything within a dozen feet of him exploded. The wave of force and heat buffeted her, briefly swamping all of her senses. She had cleared the blast just in time, though the blast nearly knocked her off of her feet. Shrapnel pinged off her, a cloud of fragments that would've shredded any other living being.

Throwing her head up, she saw what had happened. A black object flew through the sky above her, the spinning rotors atop it shaking the air itself. It was an AH-1 Cobra with the seal of the Thai Royal Army on the side, and tried to kill her. Her eyes narrowed, tracking the chopper as it swung around in a wide arc, coming around for another pass.

She ran. The machine guns spat bullets at her, ones she sensed could hurt her. Seeing an opportunity she jumped, hitting the side of the building and running upwards. Bullets tore rough holes into the bricks behind her feet, inches from her armored heels. She kept up the speed, running up the ninety degree incline. With no way of knowing it, the pilot's jaw had dropped at her actions.

Clearing the top she flipped and quickly searched for anything she could use, spotting a large black gun case from an attempted survivor. In one smooth motion she reached it, grabbed ahold of the handle, and threw it in the direction of the chopper. The roaring Cobra veered slightly out of the way, missing the thrown object easily. An unfamiliar (yet not unwelcome) grin came over her features. She took off again, mentally timing her actions. This had to be just right, she wouldn't get another chance.

The Cobra pilot was a fool; instead of staying high up and away from anything that could hurt his craft, he stayed close to the roof level. For anything else, it would have been enough.

She jumped into the void, her chained weapons billowing out behind her as she careened through the sky. It was a close thing, but she timed it right. The helicopter lurched as an unexpected weight landed onto the stubby wing, her hands grasping the missile pod. It was hot, but she didn't notice. Getting her feet onto the rest of it was harder than she expected it to be, given the gale force wind blowing downwards.

Once she was in a crouch she glanced around, noting the two faces in the cockpit looking at her with alarm. She ignored them, growing increasingly irritated at the powerful unceasing wind. Even looking up into the beating rotors was hard, any and all moisture was sucked away and her face felt like it was freezing. She contemplated how to deal with it before figuratively shrugging.

One of the chains writhed in effort, bringing her sword to bear. Once she wrapped her metal hand around the hilt, the Cobra was done for. With a growl she forced herself up with the sword held high, right into the rapidly rotating blades. The sheer power almost took it out of her hands, and she had to quickly throw her second hand onto it to keep it upwards.

Half a second was all the time she needed to break both of the spinning blades, sending both of them flying away into the void. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably when the crippled helicopter lost altitude, heading back to the ground that it came from. Seeing as the problem was taken care of she jumped once more, leaving the stricken craft to it's own fate.

One hundred and fifty feet later she impacted, hitting the ground and denting it hard enough to create a spiderweb of cracks in the asphalt eight feet in diameter. Seconds passed before she slowly rose once more. From several hundred feet away the Cobra met it's end, smashing into a building and accidentally detonating its remaining munitions, along with the rest of it's fuel. It went up into an enormous fireball, visible for miles around. A fresh wave of fires engulfed the nearest buildings, incinerating the few survivors left. The boom was heard for even further than the fire was.

She heard it, and ignored it. Back on her feet, she took a moment to take stock of herself and her surroundings. Her own condition was nominal, and the area around was abandoned. She cracked her neck and chose a random direction. Less than a minute after boarding the helicopter she took off in a sprint, faster than anything that didn't have wheels and a combustion engine.

The next human she encountered died when she broke his neck.

The next Witch to cross her path died when she slashed them with her sword.

The next group of fighting humans were blasted by the corrupted M60.

The next car she broke the window and crushed the driver's windpipe.

And so on.

* * *

 **A/N: Insane Black Rock Shooter theme: Waking the Demon - Bullet for my Valentine.**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Everyone that's keeping up with me on this, thank you. It means a lot to me. I just hope this lives up to your expectations.**

 **Disclaimer since I haven't said it in a while: I don't own Jormungand, Black Rock Shooter, or any other franchise or series I may or may not have referenced and/or mocked. All of it belongs to their respective owners, I'm just the guy who thought it was a good idea to blend it together.**

 **Last item before I start: someone PM'd me claiming that I forgot about Strength. I...kinda have. I've been planning this story for two years now, some things are bound to slip through the cracks. Hope this makes up for it.**

* * *

Karif ran for his life, fearfully sweeping his head around for danger. The fifteen year old Roanapur native wasn't the only one; each of the four people in his group were almost too afraid to blink. It consisted of his mother, father, and his uncle Skaraa, with the last carrying the machine gun while his parents had pistols. He carried a knife himself, but he didn't delude himself by thinking it would do anything to protect him or his family. The tough facade that he'd spent years creating was long since gone.

Having been born and raised in this wretched city, he was no stranger to violence or death. But what he had seen in the past two hours defied everything. His life goal had been to get involved in one of the mafias, elevate himself to a position of importance, and get himself and hopefully his parents out to someplace nice. He'd always wanted to see Italy, the local Sicilian mobsters that made their rounds on his block always shared such wonderful stories about their home whenever he was hanging out with them. Distantly he wondered if those men were still alive.

Now, his only wish was to escape the city alive. Word came from one of the few mobsters left alive that all three of the major roads were destroyed. Traffic for the smaller ones would halt them in their tracks as a result from all the desperate people crowding roads never meant for that number. That left the harbor; there was still a few boats there he claimed. Karif's father had his doubts, but what other choice was there?

They came across the ruins of an army patrol along the way, and from what they had seen and heard no gang was able to fight off the monsters, except the Russians. They and they alone seemed to do alright. Unfortunately they already evacuated hours ago, leaving tens of thousands to their fates. The choice was clear: stay where they were and certainly die, or leave and risk death.

Skaraa stopped and threw himself against the dirty walls of the alley, looking back to see if the rest of his family was doing the same. Thus far his decision to keep to the back areas of the alleyways seemed to be paying off. Many people had rushed by the small family in panic, too busy running for their lives to take notice. More than a few had those monstrous girls in pursuit, with screams never far behind them. Karif didn't want to end up like old man Xinge, dying in his shop to what looked like a foreign girl with a hammer.

Something short and incredibly fast flashed by in front of the alley. Karif held his breath; after a minute of nothing but the hellish background noise he finally released it. Though it was hard to hear, he could hear similar sighs from the adults. His parents were scared out of their wits at the chaos, just like him. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more frightened at that. Skaraa looked back again and nodded, noting the boy's fearful expression.

"It's alright" his father soothed.

The thirtish man took a deep breath. What happened next was the single most risky part of moving: crossing the street. He peeked the very top of his head around the corner, prepared to jump back at the first hint of danger. Slowly he pushed out further and further, glancing both ways. When he finally felt it was safe he left the alley entirely, his hard gaze sweeping around with his finger on his M16's trigger.

Then he ran, eating up ground as fast as he could move. He dodged around an abandoned car (Karif's parents contemplated taking a car but his father thought the risks were too great) into the next alley. A quick sweep confirmed that the space was empty. He sighed again, this time in relief. He looked back to the rest of his family and waved them on. The boy took a deep breath and stepped out of the alley, huddled low to lower the risk of being seen. He made it to the edge of the sidewalk when he heard a scream. A high pitched scream that was too close. His mother and father retreated back, trying to get to him first. But they were too late.

A monster jumped out of a low window of the building above him, one that looked like a sixteen year old girl with long red hair wearing black pants and a low cut top. She hit the ground a dozen feet from Karif. The boy froze; he could only stare at the monster as it stood up and righted itself. Dots of light suddenly appeared on her arm, manifesting into a short ninja sword that she grabbed tightly. The girl cracked her neck and took off, ignoring him entirely.

"Karif!" his father cried out in relief.

Just as the boy rediscovered how to breath, he saw a flash of purple light, and the girl tumbled over limply. For a second there was a burst of gunfire, then a half dozen men ran out from one of the adjacent streets. They were all clad in street clothes and armed with older assault rifles, screaming something intelligible. A few stopped to turn around, spraying bullets at something just out of sight.

A hail of purple bolts engulfed the few that stayed behind, shredding them where they stood. Something new darted out into the street after the remainder, two somethings in fact. The two appeared to be trying to mesh together for a moment before the first went flying down the street. It tumbled through the air before hitting the pavement and skidding. Massive metal objects slammed into the ground, digging wide trenches into the pavement to halt her movement. While that happened another blast of the sliver like bolts cut down what was left of the men.

When the small being threw her head up, Karif recognized who she was: El Diablo (according to his his Honduran friend Miguel). No one else had had a short black outfit with enormous metal arms like that, from what the rumor mill claimed anyway. She was looking worse for wear; she was heaving breath, her scarf was torn, there were scuffs and scratches all over both her and the arms, and some blood traced a line from her brow. Now that he was close enough to get a good look at her, he suddenly realized she looked very similar to the monsters that were killing indiscriminately. Idly he thought of her as the harbinger of the horde.

Seeing her hard glare being directed dead ahead, he swiveled his own head. Karif discovered it was another monster she was facing down. This one was different than the others. She had a black metal cap, a vest of sorts covering a torso, hot pants, and armor plating from her knees downwards. A muted purple flame burned from her left eye. From her back three writhing chains languidly moved around, each with a weapon at the end. A fierce looking sword, a black machine gun, and a cannon with a large bayonet at the tip respectively. In contrast she looked untouched.

Unlike every monster he'd seen up until that point, she moved calmly, almost lazily to her opponent. She displayed none of the fluid speed that characterized the monsters. El Diablo snarled and smashed her fists into the ground, a challenge if he ever saw one. From behind him Karif heard his mother frantically whisper for him to come back. Whether from terror or curiosity, he ignored her to stay put.

El Diablo charged, crossing the distance between the two in seconds. Armored watched impassively until the very last second, where the cannon and the sword leapt back into her hands to meet the fists. When the weapons collided, the sheer power behind the blow created a loud boom, akin to a small explosive. He watched the struggle in astonishment, for the moment forgetting his fear.

Armored drew back and swiped the blade at an off balance El Diablo. She recovered enough to adjust her hands so the sword scrapped off rather than biting. With a fresh snarl she pushed forward, swinging the metal hands for all she was worth. Armored went onto the defensive, actually being forced to back away several paces. Silently he began to cheer her on; her rep claimed she only went after tough targets, if she won she would move on and leave him and his family be. Hope welled within the boy.

Suddenly Armored shoved the large cannon into a brutal stab at El Diablo. The smaller girl was able to clasp her hands together to stop it mid way, even if she was pushed back several inches. Armored kept trying to force the weapon to her, showing some strain. El Diablo on the other hand appeared to be putting every ounce of her vast strength into keeping the triangular bayonet away.

The taller one smirked, letting her own metal arm to fall to her side, where her sword smoothly slid into place. Without warning she yanked the cannon back, knocking El Diablo off balance. Faster than he could watch the blade was swung downwards onto her exposed elbow joint, cleanly slicing through it. One of her arms fell, crashing to the ground. Her look of determination was replaced by one of shock.

El Diablo screamed, loud enough to hurt the boy's ears. Armored darted sideways to swipe again, taking off her other limb at the same place before delivering a vicious kick at her midsection. Her scream was interrupted while she fell, a choked gurgle taking it's place. When she hit the ground it didn't resume, instead she began to hyperventilate in pain. Her mighty metal arms laid several feet away, broken and useless.

Armored didn't even pause, she calmly walked up to the gasping girl and paused when she was standing by her feebly kicking feet. The smirk on her features stayed in place as she easily hefted the cannon around, lining up the end with the literally disarmed El Diablo, only inches away from her head. The last thing Karif heard from the legendary mercenary was a desperate "Please" before Armored shot her in the head. Her body went limp.

The smirk faded back into a detached look as she stepped around the new corpse. Sensing movement she swung the cannon around, letting lose a flurry of shots at the alleyway that Skaraa was in. When it ceased, there was a ringing silence in the air that was broken only by distant gunfire. The boy feverishly hoped that he was okay, just before the being's head turned around the other direction. Her searching stopped when she spotted him.

Karif froze. His own reddish brown eyes were locked in place with her otherworldly purple ones. The cannon slipped from her grip, rejoining it's siblings in trailing after her while she toed around El Diablo's body. She began to stalk in that exacting pace once again, facing directly towards the boy. He jolted to his feet, but she adjusted her course to match him. Fear clouded his mind, preventing him from thinking straight.

When she reached the sidewalk, he backed away with his shoes scrapping the pavement. She never sped, never slowed, and never deviated a degree from her target. Her empty expression told the boy he was going to die here. He was going to die on the streets of Roanapur, like he always thought he would but was certain he wasn't. When his back bumped the wall, he cringed and squeezed his eyes shut. He prayed under his breath, waiting for the blow to finish him off.

Four warm and hard things touched his brow, making him gasp. Seconds later he realized he was still alive. Against all of his judgement, he opened his eye for a short peek. Karif blinked, opening his eyes fully at the unexpected sight. The things on him were gloved fingers. They kept on his face, starting to slide down. Gently, almost tenderly. His frantic breathing slowed a minute degree, asking himself desperately just what the hell was going on.

The monster's features, less than a foot from his face, had softened. The hard blankness had given way to what seemed to be muted wonder. Her eyes were no longer narrowed, the flame over the left had nearly died out, and her mouth had opened a little. The fleshy hand continued to run over his face, not hurting him in the slightest (unless mild discomfort and pants-wetting terror counted). She blinked, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. To his own amazement, her eyes seemed to be getting glossy.

Karif had no way of knowing it, but he was alive solely because he happened to bear an uncanny resemblance to a boy named Jonah Mar.

When she blinked again, a single tear ran down her cheek from the flaming eye. Her brow wrinkled, though the wonder didn't vanish. The hand finally left the terrified boy's cheek to slowly return to her own face, daubing a single finger at the tear. Her features left his entirely, turning to stare at the tiny drop of water with what looked to be puzzlement. She turned away, as if she had forgotten she was there.

The monster wasn't facing far away enough for Karif to not see what happened next. Her finger began to tremble, spreading to her arm, then systematically to the rest of her corrupted form. Her face shivered, and her mouth began to quiver. A tiny ragged huff escaped her. Most damning of all, her eyes could no longer stay in that horrifying blank state. The gloss in her eyes spilled out, more tears freely running down her cheeks.

The girl's legs gave out, and she collapsed into a pile. Her weapons and the chains that held them limply fell to the ground with a clang after her. Only a seemingly reflexive move of her metal arm that hit the ground first stopped her from landing flat on her face. Her armored form shuddered, starting randomly but soon stabilizing into a rough pattern. More noises escaped her, sounds of ragged intakes of breath followed by sputtered exhales. Karif could hardly believe his ears.

She was crying. No, she was _sobbing_.

Karif's mother finally took the chance to dart out of her hiding place, grabbing the boy and yanking him onwards. He remembered the situation and moved under his own power again across the abandoned street, avoiding the bodies of the men and El Diablo. The monster made no move to stop them, or even noticing them anymore. Despite what he had just seen her do just minutes earlier, the boy felt a twinge of pity in his heart for her.

In a remote part of her mind she was aware of the humans fleeing. She didn't care. Grief overwhelmed the monster, welling up in a tidal wave that swept the emptiness away. The hollow feeling she had experienced was torn apart, unable to rise again. Memories that were only indistinct flashes before came rushing back in full force. Everything that she was returned.

 _The shock of the transition that took her breath away. Seeing the two humans in the hallway clutching tiny cannons at her. Falling. A parasite in her arm. Telling the blonde man how to open the door. The pale woman that didn't fear her. Introductions to the eight others. Discovering the joys of food. Odd tests. The cramped space. New surroundings. Danger. Two people, a man and a woman. An ornery man that wouldn't stop talking. Questions at their acts. Oppressive heat, then biting cold. The sting of a gunshot. Death, and wonder. Contemplation. New openings. Wandering, tired but amazed. Relief. Shock at his actions. A narrow miss that made Koko happy. Water, infinite water that tried to kill her. Noisy plane. He avoided her questions. Shooting that arrogant fool and killing his lackeys. Boredom that Koko interrupted with a new task. A secret observation, a secret rendezvous. Suspicions, then an opening. He opened up to her. The plan. Killing, it was a challenge. Leaving Valmet be. She had to do this. Relaxed, let her guard down. Valmet shot. Help came soon. Feeling good, wondering what's in store next. The name of her hated foe. Plans, objectives, anxiety. Only got worse. Is this America? Doesn't look all that special. Warnings, danger, but he held her back. Dead Master dared show her face, taunting her with her own sword. Fight, the hardest fight that she could remember. She lost. But he came, saving her. Irritation at his interference, but gratitude for saving her. Hurt badly, angry that Dead Master is coming along too, with her comrades and friends. Satisfaction at seeing her put down. Koko is nervous about the city far away, why? An old foe may return as a new ally, only not. Returned empty handed. Thinking about him. New place, Japan. Seeing the other boy off. New task. Kaspar, Koko's sister. Took him and her along, made him nervous. But he was fine when Kaspar left. Danger, assassin! Gunfire, despair, then hope. Find the leader, discover another hated foe has returned. He cares, he does, then does something she didn't think was possible. Kaspar gloats, Koko is scared. Her kind let loose, what she feared they thought she was. Driving along, being shot at. Dealing with yet another old foe. Tricked and ambushed. She was shot, the pain unbearable. Black Gold Saw is going after him, must stop! She can't. All of her skill, all of her strength, meant nothing. Black Gold Saw shot him. Black Gold Saw shot Jonah-_

She snarled, smashing her fists onto the ground. The sidewalk cracked under the blows, fracturing into bits. She didn't care. Tears still streamed out, blurring her vision. The memories consumed her, ripping her mind apart. She wanted them gone. She wanted the blissful emptiness back; no thoughts, no emotions. Just kill, and kill, and kill. But it stayed. It stayed and brought everything back that she wanted to forget.

"Tut tut tut."

She snapped her head up with a snarl, finding Koko standing a few feet away in the street. The pale woman stood by and watched her, staring impassively.

"Isn't this a bummer. I gave you a chance. I took you in, knowing what you are. Trust and all that. Too bad you really are a monster" Koko said calmly.

She lunged and tore her in half. From behind her came a low chuckle.

"One thing. I told you one thing. Don't hurt my boss, my teammates, or bystanders. Now look at you, covered in the blood of god knows how many people" Lehm said easily.

A burst from the M60 cut him down. Beside him the bespectacled man snorted.

"That's crazy Tojo. Just being paranoid Tojo. Look who was right after all" Tojo taunted.

She threw the chained sword at him to rip open his chest. Another low snort.

"What was I thinking? I should've shot you dead in that hallway" Valmet said coldly.

She lunged and shoved the cannon through her midsection. More voices crowded her.

"I had the chance to stop this" Lutz muttered, without legs.

"A genuine monster, interesting" Wiley went studiously with a chunk of his torso missing.

"You killed him" Chinatsu accused, cut and tears of blood leaking down her face.

"I didn't want to be there" pleaded a white clad mercenary with a hole in his chest.

"What da hell luv?! We weren't dangerous" said the two men in the van, faces torn off.

"Oh no" whimpered Trohovski, an eye hanging out of it's socket.

"M-my god" quivered the Balkan dragon and his companions, their flesh rent and covered in gore.

"We just wanted you to stay away" said the corpse of the Daxinghai guard. Beside him Karen Low nodded, patches of blood spreading out from her chest.

She stopped thrashing around and collapsed, clamping her hands over her ears. Desperately she willed the voices away.

"I fought you because I knew what you would become" Dead Master gurgled from her mangled face.

"Freak" Huey spat with a ragged hole in his torso.

"I was what you pretended to be" Kurosaka stated from the charred stump of her neck.

"Please, I have a family" the shredded face of the SR Unit operative pleaded.

"You're funny. Playing human" Mana giggled through her torn out throat.

"Stop! There's a monster!" the japanese bartender exclaimed without limbs.

"I was close to putting you down and stopping all of this" Black Gold Saw accused, splattered with blood.

"Monster" Strength spat, an uneven hole between her eyes.

She screamed. The voices of the dead and dying grew louder as if to challenge her. She squeezed her eyes shut and hit her head against the ground. It all blurred together, the voices of the damned no longer distinguishable from each other. All she could hear was the fear and accusation in their tones. All of it directed at her. The weight of her sins threatened to suffocate her, and she whimpered. Unspoken apologies tried to leave her lips, but they left as animalistic noises instead.

It took her several seconds to realize the voices had cut out. Reluctantly her hands retracted, finding the hellish noise gone. Her eyes opened, looking wildly for anything or anyone around her, finding no one. Slowly she pushed herself up to sit, dazed. She blinked; then there was someone in front of her. Someone short, wearing khaki short pants and a white shirt with a black hoodie over it. Her head tilted back, numbly tracing over the clothes and the brown skin. Her purple gear inlaid eyes met his red ones.

Jonah looked down at her with his customary neutral expression. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her ragged breathing picked up, and she hesitantly lifted her hand to him. It trembled, uncertainty clawing at her core. Yet hope welled within her, a feeling she forgot existed. Her hand was almost too him when the blankness on his face was broken.

He cracked a small smile. A line of blood left the corner of his mouth.

Her awe was quickly replaced by horror. Frantically she pawed at him, but it did nothing. In front of her eyes a large splotch of red began to spread out from his chest, where the bullet struck home. Her whimpering reached a fever pitch. His hand reached out to grab her wrist. She froze, feeling the cold dead hand gently encircle hers. Numbly she looked back up, seeing him lightly shaking his head.

"It's okay" Jonah said quietly.

She slumped down again, everything but the hand he held going limp.

"You know the truth. I'm dead" Jonah said, voice calm but determined.

Again tears welled in her eyes, her body feeling like it wanted to join him.

"This can't be changed. But you can do something about it" he offered.

Instantly her head picked up.

"You know who did this. You know how they think and what they can do" Jonah stated.

Her trembling ceased. The weapons rose and planted themselves on the ground, steadying herself so she could rise. Her free hand left the ground, followed by her knees, bringing the full height of her form back up. The hand Jonah held stayed in his grip.

"You know what you must do" he said.

At last her head lifted, showing her shadowed face to him. Her lips were a tight line, her eyes were narrowed, and her features were set. Cold fury radiated from her.

All it took was a shake of his head to shatter her determination.

"No. Black Gold Saw was merely a tool. In the end she's unimportant" he stated.

She couldn't help tipping her head to the side a few degrees in confusion.

"Who did this?" Jonah looked away to wave a hand around to the burning skyline "Who gathered them up and turned them loose? Who burned this city and killed so many?" he asked her.

Obediently her gaze followed his hand. She realized what he meant, berating herself for not realizing it sooner.

"Find her first. Find out what she knows, then kill her. Once that's done, find Kaspar" Jonah commanded.

His hand fell away from hers. She gave him one last look, questioning mixed in with longing. He nodded in acknowledgment. Jonah turned to what looked like a random direction. She realized that the dead that tore at her being were surrounding her once again, all of them silent and grim. The boy she loved raised his arm and pointed, the crowd of the dead echoing him. The being that was Black Rock Shooter-

No, she corrected herself. That was not her name. Not anymore.

" _I_ " she murmured, feeling her voice ache from disuse.

" _Am_ " she tried again, feeling no better. But it was close, she needed to finish it.

" _Insane. Black. Rock. Shooter._ "

She turned to the direction he indicated and ran.

* * *

Soaring over the burning city, the two large helicopters skimmed near the collapsing skyline. They were Russian made MI-17s, types meant more for cargo transport than an active combat role. Because of this, the pilots of the two choppers were exceedingly nervous. One of the pilots had a panic attack when a short stream of orange bolts flew from one of the buildings to tear into the side. The armor plating held, though it wouldn't help against a sustained barrage.

Both of the helicopters, bearing a seal on the side of the Royal Thai Army, slowed their velocity in preparation of descent. More small arms fire pelted off the side, fortunately hitting nothing important. It didn't help the attitudes of the pilots however. Both craft steadied themselves, coming to a wavering hover over a large intersection. At a silent signal, both choppers went down at the same time.

The back hatch of the helicopters opened within seconds of each other when they were less than twenty feet from the ground. Once the hatch reached a level incline a bulky figure leaped out of the opening to freely plummet to the ground, yelling "Hell yeah!" Behind him the craft lurched at the sudden change of weight.

With a thump the lone figure hit the ground and went into a crouch, needing only a few seconds to rise once again. He wore the BDUs of the Thai Royal Marine Corps, complete with the particular patch that indicated the rank of Captain. Above his uniform however was a rather strange set up. Black and grey machinery ran from a primary node on his back to run parallel to his body, attached via clamps and straps to his limbs. Certain sections, such as his forearm, had a thick weight of armor attached. On his head was a standard issue helmet. Underneath that was a grinning countenance.

Behind him a dozen other figures left the roaring helicopters at a much more reasonable height, a couple of them jogging up to him despite their perceived bulk. Most went to secure their landing zone, but one stomped his way.

"Captain Veera!" a man with lieutenant's pipings called out, sounding distinctly aggrieved. The recipient of his anger grinned.

Arthit Veera was his name, Captain to anyone that he thought needed to be reminded of his rank (i.e. everyone). Twenty two of his forty years were spent in the Royal Marine Corps, a job that he had precisely zero regrets taking. Unlike the majority of his fellow soldiers in the military, he had been overseas several times, including two missions in Iraq alongside the Americans. When the army's new program went public he was one of the first to volunteer. Because of this, he was chosen to lead the newest unit of special operators, outfitted with some unusual equipment.

The American officer and his aides that introduced it to them called it the XOS-3 powered exoskeleton. The men called it the Jacket. Captain Arthit Veera called it the Fun Suit.

"What!?" he shouted back over the noise, trying to seem solemn and serious but failing miserably. The rest of his special operations platoon fanned out from their landing zones while the fat helicopters spooled up the rotors in preparation of leaving.

"Sir, regulations forbid-" the young man tried to protest, beginning to stab a finger with his increased bulk. Fortunately for Captain Veera a burst of gunfire cut him off.

"Lieutenant Suchart, take a team and take that out. I'll lead the platoon, move it!" he barked, throwing a hand out with much more grace than the younger man in the general direction of the unit. Out of all the men trained to use the Jackets, he was the best single operator.

The much younger man would've jumped if he didn't weigh three times as much as he did normally. Captain Veera looked away without checking to see if he was following orders; after weeks of drills with the new gear he was eager to test it out in the field. He really wanted to put it through it's paces as soon as possible, and to see if it was as fun as it looked. So far it seemed promising, but only a real mission could tell him for sure whether or not it was. If all went well the army would expand the Jacket unit into a company, perhaps someday a brigade.

Two men detached from the bulk of the tiny suited unit (he tried not to gripe about a captain leading a mere platoon's worth of troops but it was hard) to 'jog' up after him. A common complaint during training was the lack of mobility the Jackets offered. Captain Veera's own running time was almost twice as long compared to his normal load out. To compensate some lightweight armor was attached, partly to protect the equipment but mainly for the wearer.

One thing it did do exceptionally well was to let the soldiers carry much more equipment than normal. Currently Captain Veera hauled a MAG-58 with a small army's worth of ammo on hand, a far cry from his normal G36. He had to control himself carefully; it was unseemly for an officer of any rank to giggle like a schoolgirl, no matter the reason. Luckily he wasn't the only one with that problem.

"Contact!" one of his flanking guards yelled, snapping him out of his reverie.

Captain Veera's years of training kicked in. After a glimpse at the other man to see he snapped the machine gun to the direction the other man was looking. Beside him the two men thumbed their safeties off; he discovered a long time ago how to do it without anyone noticing. He needed seconds to identify the target, then several more to make sure what he was seeing was for real or not.

At an intersection he saw one, then two, then four blurs zoom by, almost too quickly to track. One blur looked their way and skidded to a stop, revealing itself to be a teenage girl. One with pale skin and an even paler dress (which would've been entirely white if it wasn't splattered with blood), armed with a rapier and a musket in each hand. A close enough match to the reports the recon teams radioed in before they were destroyed. She glanced their way and grinned.

Captain Veera returned it.

"Hold fire" he barked to the men, holding the machine gun out for the soldier to hesitantly take it.

Once the weight left his hand he began to stroll away in the direction of the girl, smirking at seeing her head tilt in evident confusion. He was willing to bet everyone that faced them down either ran away or shot whatever guns they had then ran, not march at them with a swagger. Before it started Captain Veera reached to his belt to retrieve his Bowie knife, a 'gift' from an American lieutenant who thought he was better at poker than he really was.

The pale girl charged, moving inhumanly fast. He grinned and started to move at her as well, sidestepping a hurried boom from the musket. It missed him entirely, an attempt to get the man to panic. By his side his fingers discreetly dialed up the Jacket's battery. Captain Veera's grin widened when she got close enough to lunge, swinging the rapier in a wide arc at an incredible speed.

She found out firsthand that the Fun Suited human was faster than she was when he not only dodged the blow, but swung his fist out to match. The inhuman girl was dumbstruck when it collided, hitting with the force of a moving vehicle. He put so much power (with the suit's help) into the blow that the girl was actually sent flying, tumbling through the air to gracelessly bounce against the pavement.

Captain Veera cackled in an ungentlemanly way when she swung herself back on to her feet, jerking back to him wearing a hateful glare. One of his soldiers coughed nervously, but he ignored him.

The girl attacked again, this time being smarter about it. Instead of charging headlong she darted to the side, firing off shot after shot at him. To answer that Captain Veera grabbed the other item from his belt, an Israeli made 50. cal Desert Eagle (another 'gift' from a visiting Hebrew speaking officer that didn't know card counting when he saw it) to answer. To his delight, the Jacket absorbed the near painful recoil of the oversized gun, making it feel more like a 9mm than a hand cannon.

Feeling the large bullet whistle by just inches away convinced the girl that she was out of time. She ceased dodging and leaped, attempting to deliver a sideways cut. Captain Veera was expecting that and narrowly ducking out of the way, but her speed still caught him off guard. He let out a tiny whimper when her sword clearly sliced through his treasured BFG. Rage filled him, determined to avenge his favorite gun.

She hit the ground and attempted to rebound, but he met her first. A quick punch was parried by the rapier, leaving her wide open for him to plunge the ten inch blade through her solar plexus. Her entire body jerked, a tiny grunt escaping her lips as her eyes went wide with shock.

"Yeah" Captain Veera said with a smile, before twisting the knife and ripping it out of her. Amazingly she managed to put her hands on the wound and stay on her feet for several seconds while her lifeblood poured out, staining her pretty white dress red even through her clenched fingers. Finally she collapsed unceremoniously, falling to the pavement like so many others and going still.

Captain Veera bent over for a second to tear off a cleanish part of her dress. A part of him thought it was a shame, a few more years she would have been a real looker in his opinion. He glanced up as he easily wiped off his knife, noting the wide eyes and slack jaws of his soldiers, one still holding his machine gun for him.

"So, what's next?" he asked rhetorically.

One blinked, twitching his head and bringing his Negev up. Captain Veera frowned and turned around.

Another of the murderous girls darted into the intersection from the street, panting and injured. She didn't even look their way before she raised a small machine gun looking contraption back the way she came. Before any of the three men could do anything about her, there was a flash of purple toned light that made her pitch backwards in a spray of blood. Seconds later a lone figure landed into view, apparently leaping from the same direction that the fallen girl came from.

"Oh" Captain Veera murmured when she jolted back to her feet, three chains with weapons at the ends lazily rising up.

When her armored form snapped their way, he dropped the odd fabric to the ground to stomp towards her wearing a fresh grin.

"Sir?" one of his men said nervously, seeing the armored form of the newest monster march to the captain to match.

"Relax soldier, with these bad boys we can fight hand to hand with no issues" he yelled over his shoulder.

Captain Veera grinned as he bore down on the girl. Her armored form failed to give him pause, the same went for the three weapons behind her. In just a few seconds he was close enough to attack, and he threw an enhanced punch that could shatter concrete at her jaw with the knife ready.

Her metal hand caught his fist, too fast for him to see. All the power that he put into the blow went into her palm and stayed there, locking him in place. Captain Veera blinked.

"Oh shit."

She brought her leg up and kicked, still holding onto his fist. His arm and the powered joints strapped onto it tore off with a sickening wet crack and a screech of tortured metal, and he thumped against the ground. Her feral glare never changed; the two men watched their fearless leaded land, and they watched the monster give the limb a once over before tossing it aside. And turning to them.

Both men opened fire, spraying hundreds of bullets in a hail that should've turned her to perforated mush. Instead she charged, the cannon taking one hand while the sword took the other. The two were mortally afraid, they stood still instead of moving. The jagged sword sliced the first man in half at the waist while the cannon shattered the body of the second.

She paused, letting her hearing take everything in. Shouts, screams, gunfire. Not far away, and getting closer. She snarled in irritation.

Her hearing picked up something else, making her freeze. It was a rhythmic thumping noise, like beating drums in the sky. Her head swiveled up, hearing the noise grow steadily louder.

A black shape with tiny blinking lights soared above her, close to rooftop level. It was dark, if not for the glow of the fires she wouldn't be able to tell what it was. A UH-60 Blackhawk, military equipment. She tracked it for a second, seeing it go in the direction of the ocean.

Insane Black Rock Shooter followed it, killing anyone that got in her way.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Admiral Fatass, you are singularly amazing. Here's a shoutout for the man!**

* * *

Roanapur was known for a number of things, most of it concerning its luridly (in)famous status throughout the region. What was not widely known for was, surprisingly enough, the numerous public parks it had in relation to it's size. Granted, most were run down pits that were little more than staked hangouts for several smaller gangs that didn't (or couldn't) take any of the larger high rises or opulent homes that other groups had. With a handful of exceptions they suffered from a critical lack of decent maintenance.

Ironically the majority of the parks were spared the worst of the so called Witches wrath. The lack of anything worth keeping or destroying meant that the majority of the monsters either bypassed the spaces or quickly roved over them instead, heading for more tantalizing objectives throughout the city. Hundreds still met their ends in the parks, but compared to the tens of thousands of deaths elsewhere the toll was only above average instead of catastrophic. Most humans saw the open ground with little cover as an awaiting deathtrap, thusly avoiding it. As a corollary most Witches didn't bother hunting in them, not with richer pastures as close as they were.

For one such park, it was not so lucky. A black SUV, pocketed with many fresh holes, tore through the narrow entrance at breakneck speed. The bottom of the armored car skidded against the small steps, thumping the car in a way that didn't help the occupants feel any better. Behind the windshield the silhouette of the front seat someone could be seen peering behind, out of the back. Seconds later another car followed it in, one in considerably worse condition that didn't take the jolt nearly as well.

The SUV skidded to a screeching stop by an empty fountain, both the passengers side windows sliding down and matching stumpy gun barrels sticking out. Clipped and precise gunfire spat from the two P90s, methodically punching through the plain glass windshield and killing both of the men in the front seat. The driver's foot stayed on the gas pedal, accelerating the sputtering car into an unfortunate tree. It sputtered and died.

On the driver's side of the SUV the back door was thrown open, it's occupant first planting her metal clad boots onto the ill maintained ground before she darted behind the car and took off in a dead sprint towards the pursuer. During the ill timed chase that delayed their already tight schedule she noted the car was filled with five men; one was dead from a lucky shot during the struggle for sure.

The door creaked open and a man wearing what was a nice business suit earlier spilled out coughing, an assault rifle in one hand. He looked up just in time to get run through the chest with an unsettlingly sculpted sword, pinned against the car he just narrowly left with his life with nothing but a grunt and dying quickly. His last partner beside him in the cab failed to react fast enough, and he had enough time to wonder why the apparent Witch had a gun before a 44. slug splattered his brains over the interior.

At any other time and under virtually any other circumstance Black Good Saw would've been tempted to stretch the encounter out a little; it was rare she got the chance to indulge in a good fight lately, even if they likely wouldn't put up much of a struggle. After the drudgery of baiting her kind into durable cages then hammering in simple lessons she feared she would go stir crazy, even daydreaming about leading a revolt. Unlimited internet access and the discovery of more than one type of chocolate postponed the issue but didn't resolve it.

Rather than waste time yanking the sword out she merely dismissed it and stomped back to the car while stuffing the revolver back in her holster, wasting not a second longer than needed. What would normally be her expression right now was either cheer or detached boredom, but instead it was anxious impatience. Her unhappy companions were not pleased at her, both her attitude and her actions. The one most upset with her left by the opposite door she used, grabbing an automatic shotgun from the backseat first.

"So, just to be clear" Chiquita began once more, her voice dripping with condescension "You didn't finish Rock off because you were sure she'd bleed out."

Black Gold Saw rolled her eyes as the four men, three bodyguards and one employer, left the car with varying degrees of steadiness. Oddly enough the pale boss was the least shaken up, considering the desperate situation.

"As I've explained three times now, yes. I shot her in the shoulder because I thought she'd either bleed to death or be too weak to do anything else, how many more times do I have to go through this?" she snapped.

"Her abilities are in line with yours. You jumped out of a four story window and five minutes later you were looking up dog pictures" she went on.

"What I did was different" she growled.

"And this was done knowing she can go Hulk too. Insane, whatever. Which happened before" Chiquita went on dryly. The non human girl slapped an armored gauntlet to her face, resisting the urge to run the claws down her face. Idly she wondered if she had absorbed too many human habits.

"That happened one time, and only after she reached a limit on her emotions. How was I supposed to know she was attached enough to that little shit to trigger that?!" Black Gold Saw snarled.

"You beat her before" Allan carefully added while he reloaded his gun. Again she rolled her red eyes, grumbling obscenities under her breath.

"Yes, I beat her before. Once. In my own realm which I knew better than the back of my hand. After I tricked a dozen others to throw themselves at her to slow the bitch down beforehand, and I dropped a very large boulder on her for good measure first. And it was still the single hardest fight of my entire life. I had to run before I could finish her off" she irately reminded.

"So why'd you repeat that mistake this time?" Chiquita asked blandly.

"Oh goddamn it!" Black Gold Saw threw her arms up in frustration, ruthlessly suppressing the urge to shoot the woman where she stood.

Kaspar waited until the exchange was over before he cleared his throat. He paused until he was sure all five of his men (people he corrected) had their undivided attentions on him.

"Let's not loose our cool yet. Once we're safely back on the Midgard, then we can debate who fucked up and why. Until then, I need all of you sharp. Now, what can we expect from this Insane Black Rock Shooter?" he asked firmly. She grumbled and absently kicked a lump of metal debris the size of her metal finger.

"You think I'm bad?" Black Gold Saw questioned tersely.

"Not really" Poe pipped up, grimacing when she shot a glare at him.

"How hard would it be to replace you? Whatever" she sighed, trying to get her frustration down to manageable levels "Anyway, she's basically me cranked up to eleven. Stronger, faster, tougher, et cetera. Add in some extreme anger issues and square the end result. That's the blandest way to put it" she explained tightly.

"So how can we fight her?" Edgar asked, giving the smoke laden sky an expectant glance.

" _You can't._ The only thing _you_ can do is get the hell out of here and hope she finds something more interesting to vent her rage on" she said, stabbing an oversized claw at him.

"Can't isn't a part of my vocabulary. Try again" Chiquita interjected.

"Better pick up a new dictionary then. Unless you can call in a bomber in the next fifteen minutes and flatten the entire city block, the only way you'll get out of here alive is by running" Black Gold Saw insisted. Kaspar frowned.

"I'm sensing a lack of _we_ there" he noted aloud. She slapped her face again, but there was an edge to it that wasn't there before.

"Most likely, she's going to prioritize. Since I'm the one that killed the boy, she'll be after me first. I have no doubt that he filled that empty little head of hers with how much of a bastard you are, so after me she's coming for you" she explained condescendingly.

"Which brings up my lesson of double tap. When it doubt, don't get stingy with your bullets" Allan added with a tiny smile, which withered under the five frowns directed his way.

"That aside, why'd you feel the need to kill him at all?" Chiquita questioned petulantly.

"I was _trying_ to take him alive, since you wouldn't shut up about how cute he was" Black Gold Saw shot back.

"Hey guys?" Edgar called out, finding himself under the annoyed gazes of the two females "Where's our ride?" Kaspar frowned and checked his watch.

"Good question. My phone" without a word Poe went back into the car for the satellite phone. While he grabbed it he couldn't help but notice the back door was being swung open again, and whoever did it was rooting around inside.

Chiquita watched her blandly as the bizarre young woman withdrew her prize, methodically checking it over just like she taught her to. She raised a brow, not at the gun but at the lack of any sort of enthusiasm for it.

"So, you're going to sacrifice yourself to draw her off, letting us escape?" Chiquita asked dryly. The woman muttered a curse at her large clawed hands, they were making the task of feeding the ammo in much more difficult than it needed to be.

"Close. As long as I'm nearby, she's going to hound you. I'll stay back and lead her away" Black Gold Saw explained, continuing to fumble with the gun.

"How do you plan on getting away?" Edgar asked curiously. She clanked the feed into place and gave the large slide a satisfying rack backwards.

"That if you leave the keys" she said, hefting the heavy Russian made Pecheneg machine gun easily in one hand and pointing at the SUV with the other. Chiquita narrowed her eyes.

"You, self sacrifice. Pardon me for thinking you're full of shit" she commented dryly. Black Gold Saw rolled her eyes again.

"You weren't listening to me. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. What I'm going to do is lead her off, hopefully give her the slip, then hitch a ride on a chopper" she explained loftily.

"You know the Thais are going to bomb the hell out of the airfield the moment they get their planes in the air right?" Kaspar asked dryly as Poe handed him the satellite phone. In turn she gave him a dry look.

Whatever she was going to say next was forgotten when a distinctive whup-whup noise came from above, making all six glance upwards. Apprehension turned to relief when the pale man managed to identify the closing helicopter. A grey painted AW139, plain to the point of austerity, cleared the top of a building to close in, dipping to the ground rather quickly. The only sign of it's allegiance was a tiny black emblem on the bottom, one that said 'HCLI' on bold print.

Grins spread throughout the tiny group. They were short lived however, interrupted by motion out of the corner of the men's eyes. Fast, darting motion. Poe and Edgar snapped around with their P90s at the ready, Allan, Chiquita, and Black Gold Saw were slower by a second. Kaspar whipped around, comically slow compared to the others, in time to get an excellent look at the new arrivals.

Three teenage girls in odd outfits and carrying even weirder weapons prowled up to the SUV, moving erratically to help avoid potential gunfire. The one leading the pack had a white blouse and a black skirt on, with what seemed like ear like frills sprouting from her head. In her hands was a sloped rectangular sword. The two others were practically opposite of each other; bisected black and white corsets and pants, carrying artfully designed axes. All of it reversed for the other. They gave the group a demented look. On the other side Kaspar relaxed a little.

Black Gold Saw came around the man to level a glare at the three. The frilled one blinked and suddenly shrank back, her companions following suit.

"That's better" Black Gold Saw growled, straightening herself up and hefting the machine gun to rest on her shoulder.

More gunfire from the same entrance they used made each of them sweep back around with weapons at the ready, the new trio taking a wide berth around the humans to see what it could be. At the same time, the helicopter began to descend over the pre established landing zone.

Another 'Whiskey' (Chiquita was fond of the term, claiming that the trouble they caused called for a stiff drink) darted into the entrance with another one hot on her heels. The latter swung around to let a plume of white fire spew backwards; a purple tinted flash of light made her jerk back with a new ragged hole in her shoulder. The gout of fire was cut off, it's owner perhaps thinking it was temporary. A second flash that tore a chunk out of her throat made sure it never happened. The first one was shot in the back, collapsing into a heap and twitching.

"Oh shit" Black Gold Saw whispered, inaudible over the roar of the helicopter coming to a landing. Slowly marching up the skidded steps was a single figure. It paused over the twitching Whiskey to stomp on her throat before moving on.

Chiquita had seen enough horror movies to guess what was going to happen next. Rather than spectate, she did her job.

Edgar, Poe, and Allan trained their submachine guns onto the entrance, grimly covering her as she darted to Kaspar's side to roughly grab ahold of his arm. He protested, but she neither heard it nor cared. The AW139 wasn't fully landed yet when she reached it, bent over like moving through a storm. The landing wheels had just tapped the ground when she grabbed ahold of the handle and yanked, fruitlessly for several seconds until the crew member inside got the message and opened up.

The lone figure reached the top of the steps to level a glare at Black Gold Saw, ignoring the wind that buffeted her and made her frayed pigtails dance with the wind. Her target gulped, leveling the barrel of the machine gun at her and sliding her claw into the trigger guard. With a sudden thought she checked the side and sighed, flicking the selector from the Cyrillic print that (helpfully translated some time ago) said 'safety' to 'full auto' before grabbing back underneath the tripod. She had to breath again when she saw that the girl's attention was on her and not the helicopter.

Compared to that first time years ago, Black Gold Saw was certain she had more armor than before; the shin plates in particular were new. Beyond that her appearance was mostly the same. On the flip side the cannon was a vastly different weapon to the one in the previous conflict. Back then it was almost identical to her normal cannon but it had a large spike under the barrel. Now it was as big as she was, sporting a massive bayonet and several more barrels. She blinked in astonishment at the other chains that twirled behind her, at the familiar jagged sword that made her shiver, and what she was certain was a warped M60. One thing hadn't changed however.

The cold gaze was still the same, promising a swift but painful end for any unlucky soul caught by it.

A part of her was glad that Insane Black Rock Shooter's attention was on her and not Kaspar; unlike them she stood a slim chance of surviving the fight. Only a small part of her felt this way though. The vast majority of her mind went to work trying to keep her body still and not running. She knew that if she ran, she would die. No ifs, ands, or buts. Standing up and fighting was her best chance of survival, as counterproductive as that thought was.

Something caught her attention, and the armored form began to turn to the direction of the chopper. Gritting her teeth, she pointed the barrel of the large machine gun her way and squeezed off a shot at her feet. The gun kicked in her hands, but instantly her eyes left the tantalizing sight to refocus onto her. Black Gold Saw felt the unexpectedly powerful recoil, coldly noting as well that the other girl didn't even flinch.

The rotors picked up, bringing out a grin on the horned girl's features. Her plan was nearly complete, there was only on thing left to do.

"Let's go" Black Gold Saw whispered, leveling the gun at the monster.

Insane Black Rock Shooter blinked. Black Gold Saw jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the lunge. The faintest caress of the massive cannons bayonet breezed against the skin of her torso, just a light touch before she was out of the way. No sooner did she land back on her feet did she take off in a run again, the machine gun clenched in her claws while the air stirred with evil promise. She felt another wisp close by her leg and redoubled her efforts.

The trio of Whiskeys regrouped and tensed up while Kaspar made good on his escape, watching to see what happened. Whatever semblance of a plan in their tiny minds died when Black Gold Saw bore down on them, with the armored monster behind her and closing fast. A flicker of regret flitted through her mind at leaving them alone against her, but she dismissed it to focus on her own survival. Once she flew past them she finally whipped back around with her claw on the trigger.

Frills died before she could react; the point of the bayonet that narrowly missed her speared through the girl's torso and she threw her aside. The twins attempted to attack via opposite angles at the same time, swinging their axes in a wide arc. Mid run Insane Black Rock Shooter whipped the M60 up and let loose with a brief stream of purple bolts that were certainly not bullets, killing the left one first and the right one a second after that. Both messily collapsed steps away from where they stood.

Icy fear clenched Black Gold Saw's guts in dread; the three hadn't even lasted as many seconds and did practically nothing to slow her down. She barely had time to train the gun's sights on her before pulling the trigger.

Carrying the Pecheneg and boasting was no issue with her own prodigious strength. Shooting the wildly bucking and painfully loud gun however was an issue. A grave issue, considering what she was up against. One in every five bullets was a tracer, allowing her to know where to direct the stream of 7.62x58mm rounds (certified man killers were what Poe called that particular bullet) to her target. She grimaced, trying to keep the wildly jerking gun under control.

Roughly one in three shots hit their target. The first one hit her in the shoulder, but apart from a slight jerk from the impact it did nothing. The dozen others that hit had no greater effect than to force her to stop, leveling a dangerous glare at Black Gold Saw even as a lucky few shots hit her in the face. She stopped firing, for a moment unable to hear anything over the ringing of her ears. Idly she wished she thought to grab a set of earmuffs first. Basic practice at a range failed to let her know just what she was in for.

Though her hearing was temporarily out, her other senses were not. The beating wind reached a crescendo before tapering off, rather quickly by her reckoning. She wasn't the only one to notice; Insane Black Rock Shooter suddenly blinked once more before snapping her head aside, first to the center of the park, then up. Black Gold Saw didn't dare take her eyes off of her, but she could guess what she was seeing.

The austere grey helicopter rose up into the sky and veered away, likely out of her weapons ranges in just a few seconds. She felt like congratulating herself until her gaze came back around, showing something she had never seen on her face before.

Pure, unbridled, _Rage_.

"Shit" Black Gold Saw whispered.

She lunged again, the horned girl doing everything in her power to dodge the attacks. But the sheer speed of Insane Black Rock Shooter made evading an even closer affair than she feared. Time and time again she tried to bring the Pecheneg to bear, only forced to keep moving instead of aiming. To her frustration what was probably her only effective tool at fighting back was weighing her down, allowing the armored monster to close in on her much easier. Shooting without aiming would just waste ammo.

Fortunately for her, salvation appeared. A darting form of another Whiskey ran into the park, and upon seeing Insane Black Rock Shooter, she attacked. This one, clad in bronze armor, flitted close enough to thrust a spear at the girl's neck, catching her off guard and briefly making her slip up. Black Gold Saw finally had a chance, so with heaving breath she stopped and lifted the machine gun to her shoulder.

Insane Black Rock Shooter righted herself and grabbed the bronze Whiskey's face when she tried to attack again. Before she could crush her head, a horde of red fireflies torrented out and hit them both.

Bronze was torn apart by the gunfire, while she swiveled her head to the source of the bullets, unmindful of the gunfire peppering her. Seconds later the gun clicked, almost silent after the earsplitting roar. Black Gold saw kept her trembling finger on the non functioning trigger anyway, numbly watching the armored girl unceremoniously drop the shredded body without so much as a glance. Worse yet, she kept that cold gaze focused on her and her alone.

Again she whispered "Shit" this time for sure that the humans had rubbed off on her.

Gulping down a lump of fear, she let the gun drop from her claws to clatter to the ground while Insane Black Rock Shooter start to walk steadily her way, in no rush now. Why should she be? A gun that could mow down dozens of humans did all of squat to her. And as she just saw, melee attacks were even less effective. The writing on the wall was clear: Black Gold Saw's only option was to run, and that monster could run faster.

 _I did not think this all the way through_ , she thought ruefully.

Black Gold Saw's last resort was brought out of it's holster and aimed at her head, at her side her free hand clutched up to summon her own sword. In response the writhing chain holding her jagged sword curled up to it's master, the grip sliding into her robotic hand easily. Despite her iron will she began to back up, keeping the gun trained on her steady at least.

She squeezed the trigger, feeling the 44. kick in her hand. The rotating cylinder held five unused rounds; the two she used earlier (both that both caused and could've avoided this) were replaced before they were ambushed on the way here. The first bullet went wild, the next one hit her on the jaw. It bounced off, making her jerk a little and nothing else. Her marching pace never increased nor decreased, even as three more bullets hit home on her torso.

When the gun fruitlessly clicked empty the second time, it reached Black Gold Saw's attention that she was now without a ranged weapon of any kind. Her eyes flickered to the second wrecked car, but she knew that was an impossibility; even if she reached it, the guns they had wouldn't have any more effect than the now discarded Pecheneg. Her only weapon left was her sword. Internally she consoled herself that her blade was several grades above a pathetic spear.

She took a deep breath, dropping the customized gun and bringing the large blade into a two handed grip. Insane Black Rock Shooter finally stopped, her expressionless face never leaving Black Gold Saw. It occurred to the horned girl that she was waiting on her. Why was something she couldn't even guess. Perhaps a tiny shred of honor that survived her transformation? No matter the reason, she stood still with her two free weapons writhing behind her.

Black Gold Saw considered running: it was her original plan after all. Take off in a dead sprint away instead of towards her. It was possible she wouldn't be expecting it, perhaps buying her a few seconds to get away. But she knew better. In their previous fight most of her tricks didn't work, including that one. There was no reason to assume that it would work now. Like it or not, she had to try.

That was her leading thought, until someone yelled "Catch!"

Despite the situation, they both looked in the direction of the speaker. A tiny black object gracefully sailed through the air, likely aimed at the armored girl's feet. However, she was able to make good on the call, snatching the object out of the air with her fleshy arm mid flight. Black Gold Saw realized what it was less than a second earlier than the girl, throwing an arm over her eyes just in time.

The flashbang exploded, the noise and the blast were deafening even from as far away as she was. Insane Black Rock Shooter staggered, temporarily blinded and deafened. Black Gold Saw knew it was her best chance, but she couldn't help glancing over to see who her savior was. Her red eyes widened in shock; it was none other than Chiquita, advancing with the Spas-12 shotgun nestled against her shoulder.

Black Gold Saw charged. Moving faster than any human but slower than the monster in front of her, she ran with her sword at her side at her incapacitated foe. Only one or two good cuts were needed; if she could accomplish that much she could cripple her long enough to get away. For the first time, she felt that she had a chance. She swept the blade sideways, intent on a decapitating strike.

The sword hit her neck but bounced off, sending a rattle down the length and into her arms. She stumbled again, unable to stop Black Gold Saw from running a few feet away and jerking her body around.

Chiquita seized the opportunity, settling the weapon on the imbalanced form of the target and firing. Twelve gauge buckshot slammed into Insane Black Rock Shooter, making her stumble once again. She didn't let up, using her years of practice to keep the kicking gun centered on the armored girl while she steadily advanced. Each blast jerked her back, eliciting a gasp every time. Yet she stayed on her feet.

Something brittle crackled under her boots, Chiquita was certain it was the shot that bounced off her without causing any visible injury. A single blast from the Spas-12 could kill a man outright with even poor luck, but after eight shells she was not just still alive, but still on her feet. When the gun finally clicked empty, she realized that she had made a terrible mistake. If that wasn't enough a clue, Insane Black Rock Shooter steadying herself to come to her full height, a little more than a head shorter than Chiquita, made that point clear.

Chiquita dropped the shotgun and drew her sidearm, putting five rounds rapid at the center of her mass as fast as she could pull the trigger. The 9mm bullets had the same effect as her ex-husband's earlier, though she had no way of knowing it. They bounced off of her torso, making a slight pinging noise even when a single round clearly hit her exposed stomach. The older woman grimaced; Insane Black Rock Shooter's expression hinted at annoyance.

When the slide of her pistol locked backwards, Chiquita knew she was in trouble. The armored girl waited for a moment, evidently to see what else she could tank. When the older woman began to back up, she tipped her head forward once. One foot left the ground, planting itself a short distance in front of her. Then the other side repeated the action, then the first again, then again, and again. A steady, unhurried pace to Chiquita.

Suddenly her whole body rippled with movement, swinging around in the blink of an eye. Her cannon was raised up, meeting the large downward slash with a resounding clang. Then she swept it aside, parrying the sword and nearly flinging it out of Black Gold Saw's grip. What little determination on her features was quickly replaced by shock. But she didn't end it there.

Her metal hand shot out, grabbing the blade itself and clamping down hard. And then with one massive yank, brought it around to line Black Gold Saw up with her own body. The horned girl let go of her sword, two seconds too late. Insane Black Rock Shooter's foot came up to deliver a vicious kick to her midsection, knocking her back to land a dozen feet away and leaving the large sword in her hands.

Chiquita had a good idea of what was going to happen next. The police reports before and after Koko's team went to Maryland had one significant detail added, if Black Gold Saw's own testimony concerning the decidedly non human girls' weapons wasn't clear enough on her own. If there was a positive to any of this, she was about to see a sword change owners. Insane Black Rock Shooter moved the sword around to the center, one hand on the blade and the other on the hilt.

She raised it up, and brought it down on her knee.

The ornately crafted sword, called the King Blade by it's owner, shattered. Metal bits flew out, pattering against the ground in front of her. Some were fleck sized, some were as large as her hand. The only intact pieces left were still in her grip, held completely apart as they settled to her sides. Black Gold Saw gaped from where she landed, unable to believe her eyes.

"Damn" Chiquita muttered.

Insane Black Rock Shooter snapped her head over to her, contempt coming over her features. The hand holding the hilt let go of it's prize, while the one holding what was left of the blade pivoted around. In one quick motion her entire body flickered, sending the remaining chunk of sword flying out. Chiquita didn't have time to dodge.

She was knocked cleanly off her feet, her empty gun tumbling from her hand. When she bounced against the hard ground, Chiquita thought it odd. Landing on a hard surface hurt, that was a given. Yet she didn't feel much pain. Not much at all in fact. She lifted her head, feeling more and more sluggish by the second. A single brow raised at the sight of the splintered piece of metal that was sticking out of her chest. As she watched it was degrading, flecks of rust starting to drop off. Her vision was hemming in, she didn't get to see the sword collapse into dust.

Insane Black Rock Shooter only kept her eyes on Chiquita long enough to make sure she wasn't getting back up. Once she was certain of that, she lazily turned her head around, discovering with annoyance that Black Gold Saw was scrambling away, much further than she thought she could go. In spite of that it took less than five seconds to catch up with her, and her clawed hand wrapped around the young woman's ankle.

Black Gold Saw yelped in either fear or shock, she didn't care enough to distinguish the two at this point. Tightening her grip, she swung hard. The horned girl left the ground, briefly sailing up through the air before she was slammed against the pavement opposite her. Unrefined pain surged through her body, what little breath in her lungs was violently forced out. Before she let go, she flipped the horned woman over so her face was pointing skyward.

Her vision was swimming, and the only air she could get came in ragged gasps. But when she saw the hazy form of the monster take position above her, she dug into her reserves of strength for her last chance.

Her arm was thrown up with her clawed hand splayed out, with a desperate "Don't!" escaping her lips. Insane Black Rock Shooter ignored her, the corrupted M60 lazily sliding into her hand to be pointed at her head. Methodical, relentless, inevitable.

"I know where Kaspar is!"

The gun froze were it stood, not quite lined up with her. Something flashed across her face.

"I...I know where he's going. He told me to kill the boy, I-I didn't want to but he threatened me" she stuttered out the lie.

Her features twitched into a sneer. But the gun lowered a couple of inches.

"He's going back to Manila, the Philippines" she went on fearfully. Insane Black Rock Shooter kept her flat gaze on Black Gold Saw, her head tilting to the side a few degrees.

"It was either do as he said or he kills me. I don't care what happens to him. Listen, if you want to get there, you're going to need me" the moment the words left her mouth, the gun twitched back upwards.

"Icantellyouhowtogetout!" Black Gold Saw shrieked in terror. It froze in place once again.

She breathed raggedly, quivering in fear. It was an open question whether her gambit would work or not; mentally she berated herself for letting the situation get out of hand like this.

The M60 finally lowered, and Insane Black Rock Shooter backed up a foot. Hesitantly she half stumbled back up off the ground, moving carefully in case she decided to change her mind. She didn't offer any help, not that she wanted any from her. Once she was back on her feet, she raised her empty claws in supplication and hoped that her offer would be good enough.

"There's..." Black Gold Saw had to cough, still unable to believe she was still alive "There's still a few boats left in the outer ring of the harbor. If you give them some money, they'll let you on. They'll take you to Manilla" she hesitantly explained.

Her head tilted to the side.

"I'm...I'm...sorry for shooting Jorgen" Black Gold Saw added.

Instantly a scowl came over her features, and she swept the machine gun up to aim it at her chest, inches away. Black Gold Saw froze again, her life flashing in front of her eyes.

A powerful whupping noise sounded out. Her scowl faded, and Insane Black Rock Shooter looked away into the sky (though the gun stayed where it was). The whup-whup grew louder, the wind picking up quickly. Black Gold Saw didn't dare hope that Kaspar had come back for her, but she was still confused at who could be operating the helicopter. When she looked herself, relief overcame her.

A searchlight flicked on to center on the pair, making the armored girl shrink back. Black Gold Saw took the chance and ran, clearing the immediate area as fast as she could and diving for cover. When Insane Black Rock Shooter's scowling visage swept back up, both her cannon and the M60 jumped into her hands to point at the roaring machine.

It fired before she could, a torrent of 7.62mm bullets streaming out from the side. She barely jumped out of the way in time, but to her infernal rage the weapon tracked her relentlessly, the M134 minigun following her every move. Less than ten seconds later she was forced to leave the park entirely, roaring in fury.

Black Gold Saw got up off the ground, elation taking over at the sight of the Blackhawk touching down on the ground. She grinned and padded the device hidden in her pocket appreciably.

* * *

"R, how long?" Lehm questioned tightly. The seething man glanced at his watch.

"Hour twenty" he answered in kind. He kept a tight grip on his AKS, while Lehm drove quickly.

Finding a Volvo of all things, the two mounted up and made a beeline back to the harbor. R refused to give up his new gun, Lehm didn't have the will to argue with him. For some reason there was far less activity leaving then entering; he wondered if what happened to Rock was the cause of that. In any case he was grateful. He and R now had a good chance of making it back to the water, where they could- he stopped that thought.

It wasn't just the hardened urge to put down what his drill sergeant all those years ago called "end-of-patrol-itis" where a soldier was most likely to make a fatal mistake. He knew that feeling, he knew how to deal with it. The problem was the lack of knowledge of how he was going to explain the absence of both Jonah and Black Rock Shooter to the rest of the men, and by extension Koko.

 _Hey, bad news, Jonah died and Rock went into a Hulk rage. Today blows doesn't it?_ Lehm shook his head and refocused on driving. He knew that people died, it was the way the world worked. Especially when it came to his profession. But they weren't going to see it that way. Koko would scream, cry, and break something; not in that order. His sole consolation was that she was going to bring the hammer down on Kaspar even harder now.

Lehm took one more turn and found himself looking upon the vista of the nighttime ocean. It it wasn't for the desperate situation he found himself in, he might've spent a little while admiring the view. As it was he pulled the car alongside the curb near a pier, hoping it was the same one he left earlier. A flick of his hand and he killed the engine.

"Lets go" he said blandly, grabbing his SIG and leaving the car. R left a second later.

The two men immediately swept their respective guns around, checking the immediate vicinity for any movement. But other than a handful of bodies (some human, some Witch) there was nothing. Even the once billowing fires that consumed the buildings nearby were winding down, running out of fuel to keep going. Lehm and R exchanged a glance and went off in a jog away from the street and down the pier, leaving the car alone.

Halfway to the end, Lehm froze, hearing a noise that wasn't there a minute ago. He sighed in relief, allowing a small grin on his features. R wanted to ask what it was, but when he heard it too the question was forgotten. Both men turned to the direction of a roaring engine out in the water, bringing the rifle and the pistol to bear just in case.

No lights shown from the overcrowded lifeboat; the men on board weren't fools. The beefy man running the engine operated it like the professional he was, skillfully taxiing the boat alongside the wooden and metal pier with inches to spare.

"What's the word?" Ugo asked first. Lehm's expression went grim.

"Kaspar got away" R said instead. Tojo and Lutz offered hands, easing the two men into the crowded boat. One look at the three outsiders told him a lot; Dead Master was huddled near the back with a large bandaged gash on her shoulder, quiet and sullen. The two locals were watching them warily, the woman still holding onto her shotgun while the man looked worried.

"Where're the kids?" Tojo questioned when he noticed. At once every passenger on the lifeboat picked up, their collective attention going to them.

Lehm didn't have the will remaining to hide his frown. R didn't try.

"But...how..." Lutz stuttered.

"It's over. Let's get back to the ship" Lehm ordered quietly.

"Are you sure?" Ugo insisted. R nodded.

Grimacing, he applied the throttle once the men were settled in. Lutz and Tojo swung their respective weapons back to the shore, wary of a sudden ambush. In seconds however the land receded away, with luck none of them would ever lay eyes on it again. The grimness pervaded the craft, infecting each and every one of them. Even the two locals started to feel it. There was one exception; Dead Master wanted to jump up and dance, but given her circumstances she decided that keeping a low profile would improve her odds of survival. Later she would celebrate.

She frowned, glancing up and out of the boat, in the process jostling Lutz.

"What is it?" he asked warily.

"There's something..." she trailed off when the noise reached them.

A roaring sound, it started faint but soon grew into a scream that overwhelmed the entire group. With shock all eight passengers looked skyward, briefly catching a glimpse of an incredibly fast object that flew above them. They tracked it as it roared above them, fading away almost as fast as it appeared. From the short look they got many of them spotted several blinking lights, but on the rear was a constant red glow.

Seconds later more appeared, hundreds of feet above and racing to the same destination as the first. Lehm waited, counting out five until they seemed to vanish. From the direction of Roanapur there came a series of concussive booms, reverberating even as far away as they were. The glowing skyline of the city was lit up by a number of fresh firestorms that seemed to sprout from nowhere.

"The hell!?" the woman demanded.

"F-18 Super Hornets" Lehm identified for them.

The only one who's eyes didn't go wide was Dead Master. She didn't get the chance to ask what that was, not until much later.

Ugo kept the boat on a steady course, soon coming up upon the familiar outline of the Atlas. But one look told him something was wrong; most of the ship was lit up by powerful searchlights, and intermediate lights flashed around most of the visible structure. Several smaller boats surrounded the ship, a half dozen in sight. One detached from it's duty to prowl up to the much smaller craft, affixing a searchlight on them too.

" **REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE. LOWER YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER** " boomed a loudspeaker. Just visible on the rear of the patrol boat was a pole with a small flag billowing in the wind, one with red and white stripes, along with a star speckled blue square in one corner.

Lehm sighed, letting his handgun fall to the floor.

"You heard the man" he told them simply.


	14. Chapter 13

_USS George Washington (CVS-73), two hours later..._

There were no restraints. The spacious meeting room she was placed in twenty minutes earlier was still empty. Comfortable chairs, a nice wooden table, and somewhat harsh lighting. If it wasn't for the metal lined bulkheads and the faint swaying motion beneath her feet, she could just convince herself she was in some low budget hotel. Closing her eyes, it was almost like she was back on her own ship. Though the choice of decor was something she wouldn't pick unless she was extremely drunk.

She didn't delude herself though. Koko was a prisoner.

The ships surrounded the Atlas, American Marines offered a short challenge to her ship along the way. She had a choice: resist, and her ship would be sunk without quarter. Surrender, and enter custody. A Hobson's choice in the end. Five minutes after a full platoon of the troops boarded her ship, the closest thing to a true home she had, the rest of her men made it back. They too were summarily taken into custody, all of them disarmed and herded together onto one of their ships before being taken away.

Any other time Koko might've felt a little flattered at getting the chance to go aboard the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet. The truly massive supercarrier was a sight to behold; lit up by innumerable lights, more than a thousand feet long, and bustling with activity. It seemed less of a warship and more of a floating city. The dozen or so other ships around it, destroyers and cruisers, only added to it's majesty. As she was brought aboard a fighter was in the process of taking off, a complex choreographic exercise that was at once routine and amazing.

In the distance she could see more ships, none of them quite as impressive as the George Washington. She couldn't identify specific ships in the darkness, but she could tell what types they were based on their profile. Aegis destroyers, Arleigh Burke classes, a dozen of the vessels held position nearby the supercarrier. Escorts for the massive ship she knew. A few yellow red streaks overhead announced the presence of either missiles or more aircraft, she didn't get a good enough look to tell for sure. In daylight it would've stolen her breath away.

She did not feel excited. She did not feel anger, shock, joy, fear, or even nervous. Holding Koko's heart in an icy grip was numb entropy, one that hadn't decreased at all since Lehm and R explained to her what happened in Roanapur earlier. The Marine guards kept a careful eye on all of them, though there was nothing to fear in the end. Even when she was separated from her men earlier, she did nothing to resist.

 _It was a trap. Kaspar had it all planned out. That Witch of his, Black Gold Saw, she killed Jonah. Rock, well, she went berserk. She's something else entirely now, some kind of monster,_ Lehm's voice drifted back to her.

 _Are you sure?_ Koko asked hoarsely, even as one of the guards barked at them to stay quiet. He nodded.

Once they were brought aboard the carrier, her men were dutifully shuffled off to the holding cells. Koko was taken to this meeting room and left alone. There were two thick doors, both locked of course. If there wasn't a pair of guards outside each one she would be amazed. She knew why she was there of course; soon a stern faced officer would enter and begin questioning her extensively about what she knew was happening in the city. A day of this, two maximum, and she would be shipped off to stand trial for her many crimes.

Koko calmly went through the process with clinical detachment. It was thorough, mechanical, and ultimately heartless. In their shoes she would've done the same thing, only with much more efficiency. For now, the only thing that could be done was to wait. Wait and stew over the quiet bombshell that Lehm dropped on her, shattering her entire world and robbing her of anything else.

Jonah was dead, and if Black Rock Shooter was still alive she wouldn't be for long. According to the men's testimony, perhaps that was a blessing.

A part of her wanted to laugh at the irony. Lehm and R chose their way, no one forced them. For Black Rock Shooter, fighting and killing was her nature. She could no more help it than a wolf could avoid hunting. Jonah didn't have a choice, really he never did. I had to was essentially his life story. They were still young; the boy could've changed his ways, became whatever he wanted to be. The girl was going to be a challenge, but with enough effort and with the strength that Koko admired she could've persevered.

Yet it was the bitter and hard men that lived, not the children. Kaspar's words rang with her still, the accusations that stung deeper than any insult. And in the end he was right. In the end they were just kids, and the boy died for her. He, and soon they, died for no greater reason than Koko's selfish vengeance. She demanded that her brother be killed immediately, thinking with her heart instead of her mind. Truth was a bitter medicine she reflected.

Koko didn't laugh. If she started to laugh, then she would lose every shred of sanity that she had left. The pain sunk its barbs into her, and only by keeping her emotions bottled up did she keep it at bay. The mask had to be maintained, otherwise the enormity of what happened would catch up to her. Later she would grieve, possibly while she rotted in her cell awaiting execution, assuming they wouldn't administer summary justice the moment she was in her new location. She had the feeling she would thank them for it.

When one of the doors clicked Koko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her posture straightened, pushing everything aside with practiced ease as she leveled her cold gaze to the entrance. Two Marines strode into the room, the picture of calm while they took up a wary stance beside the door. In comparison the man in the cheap suit that entered after them was pathetically sloppy.

"So, betcha you didn't think this is how this would end" said a practically swaggering Jerry Schatzberg, code name Scarecrow.

The blonde man pulled up a seat at the table opposite of Koko, slumping into it and leaning back. An unseemly smirk was on his features, with no hint of exaggeration. He was genuinely pleased with himself, she could tell why. Meanwhile both of the Marines watched with disciplined interest, arms behind their backs and holstered guns at their sides. Though seemingly aloof, she knew that if either of them did anything they would react quickly.

When Scarecrow look his self proclaimed nemesis in the eye, he found himself unconsciously shrinking back. Koko stared at him with an intensity that he was unused to, her mouth set into a rare flat line, not so much as a hint of a grin. If he expected fear, he was sorely disappointed. She was colder now than any point he had ever seen before, than most people in fact. If anything he seemed to go on guard, like their positions were reversed.

"Scarecrow" Koko acknowledged. The man unconsciously gulped.

"No smile? The hells gotten into you?" he snapped. A frown started to descend over his features, his plan of how this meeting was supposed to go was already being derailed.

"One of my men died tonight. The other will join him soon if she hasn't already" Koko answered in the blandest of tones.

Scarecrow opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped himself. It closed back up, the agent comprehending what was spoken.

"Shit" he murmured, shaking his head a moment later. Unless she was badly mistaken, there was a flash of sympathy across his features.

"How'd they die? Did they piss you off?" he tried to tease, attempting to come off as condescending but instead sounding hollow.

"They died trying to get the bastard that caused all this. They went for him now, when I should've waited a few days and sent a bomber to blast him back to hell" Koko said, her voice a monotone.

"Because you told them to" he answered with contempt.

"It doesn't matter now. They're gone. Because of me" she said with a slight shake of her head.

"Too bad. If I were you though, I'd be a bit more concerned with your own self" he said, a cocky smirk coming on. This time when she affixed her hard stare he didn't shrink back.

"What about my men" she said lowly.

"They're fine for now. These are Americans you're dealing with, not some two bit dictator that you're used to. They'll be well treated until their trials are over. You'll get the worst of it I'm sure" he smirked.

"I don't care about myself. Whatever you're going to do, it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is Kaspar" venom filled her tone at the very mention of that name.

"A life sentence will have you singing a different tune, assuming they don't just put you on death row" in the next few seconds his smirk faded "But that's not my call."

Koko's brow raised a quarter of an inch. Scarecrow rose from the seat, taking a second to readjust his coat.

"Get up. There's someone higher up on the food chain that wants a word with you" he stated, disappointment lining his words.

When Scarecrow moved out of the way, one of the Marines produced a pair of handcuffs. Koko stood up and offered her wrists to the man, doing nothing to resist. A quick set of clinks and the restraints were on her hands. The large guard did look into her eyes for a second while he did it, showing a flash of sympathy before his features returned to the stone like countenance that his ilk prided themselves on.

The other Marine went behind her to plant his hand on her shoulder, gently but firmly guiding her while the first strolled out the door, Scarecrow sullenly following in their wake. Outside another pair of guards in light combat gear and armed with M4 carbines took up positions around her, forming a diamond shape before going into a canter. The few sailors in the vicinity wisely cleared out when they spotted the group coming down the cramped hallway.

None of the guards spoke to Koko, each one keeping their flat gazes ahead to their destination. Even if she was in the mood to talk, she doubted they would say anything. The most she was likely to get was a curt "Quiet" or something along those lines. While they marched her off, she couldn't help but idly compare their actions to her own bodyguards. They were too close together, with no room to maneuver. They'd tripping over themselves if someone shot at her. Then again, they were in the bowels of a floating fortress. Ironically she was safer here than near anywhere else on the globe.

For whatever reason Koko half expected to be carted off to the bridge of the mighty vessel, but after a few minutes of tense marching they arrived at another meeting room (or whatever this warship used for one). Two more blank faced Marines were outside this room, the guard leading her group stopping in front of them and offering his ID. She thought it pointless considering her presence, but she knew that, with very few exceptions, militaries were obsessed with protocol. It didn't matter what their flag was, rules were rules.

The new guard nodded and rapped his knuckles against the door twice, making whoever was on the other side swing the thick metal door outwards. The guard behind her lightly pushed her to the new opening, and she complied. Oddly enough he let go while the rifle armed Marine took over his duty, his counterpart entering first. Koko couldn't help glancing back at the door while Scarecow slipped inside, seeing the one sympathetic man give an imperceptible nod to her before one of the men inside the room closed it shut.

The pale woman glanced around, discovering an near exact meeting room as the one she was just in. The rifle toting guard guided her into an awaiting chair while she briefly checked out the room, idly finding the presence of three people evidently already waiting for her on the opposite side of the table. Out of the corner of her eye she noted Scarecrow backing up to lean against the wall, apparently not allowed to sit with the rest of them. When she looked over, she felt the first real flash of emotion in two hours.

It was the one in the middle of the table that did it. She was young, perhaps no older than twenty at first glance, with pale skin and a strange black outfit consisting of a short black coat with a bikini top underneath. Red toned horns that sprouted from her black haired scalp twirled lightly while her head moved, absorbed with the set up in front of her. The large claws in place of her hands, made of red tinted black metal, were preoccupied with a plain white pot and matching small cup.

As Koko watched she carefully poured a stream of brown tea into the cup, steam wafting from the pleasant smelling drink. One clawed hand wrapped a finger around the small hoop to bring it up, while the other briefly stuck a single metal finger into the hot liquid to stir it for a moment. Before she lifted it to her lips, the so called Witch lifted her gear inlaid red eyes to her own cerulean ones, a polite smile forming.

Koko had one guess what this one's name was.

"Greetings Miss Hekmatyr. I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. I am Black Gold Saw. Pleasure to meet you at last."

 **Black Gold Saw theme: Heathens, by Twenty One Pilots.**

It was fortunate the Marine guards were in the room with Koko, otherwise there wouldn't have been anyone to grab her when she tried to jump out of her seat. Handcuffed and at their mercy, she nevertheless tried to get to the other side of the table to choke the life out of the smiling monster. She thrashed and snarled, but in the end she couldn't do anything to stop the guard from forcing her back down, though to her credit the other guard had to join in to pacify her.

Several minutes of struggling passed before she finally stilled, shuddering with fury and twisting her features into a barely contained glare. Black Gold Saw never flinched, she calmly took a sip of the tea and kept that polite smile on her face.

"Are you finished?" questioned an irritated new voice. While still furious, Koko was distracted enough to glance over to the speaker that was situated two chairs over.

A thirtiesh woman in green fatigues with long brunette hair sat there, giving her own sullen glare at Koko. The pale woman blinked, identifying the rather stunning woman after a few seconds of thought, noting that she had changed much in the past few years.

"Hex" Koko half growled.

"Koko" Hex spat.

The CIA Black Ops agent that once took the life of one of her bodyguards leaned back in her chair, contempt written all over her features. She suspected that there wasn't much stopping the operative from giving her a lethal dose of vitamin lead. That raised several questions, first of which was what prevented her from doing just that? As a corollary, why was she here in the first place?

Someone cleared their throat. Koko finally looked over to the third one in the room, discovering the third individual that she initially overlooked.

He was in his forties, Anglo, portly, and wearing a sharp blue suit with square glasses that seemed to reflect the harsh light. The man stayed where he was, hands clasped together on the table in front of him. At first glance, a second one even, he didn't appear dangerous at all. But Koko immediately went on guard, noting that Hex reduced her scowl several degrees. She had an uncomfortable feeling that whoever this was, he was dangerous in more ways than one.

"And who are you?" she questioned dryly.

Black Gold Saw let a short chuckle escape her. The man took a second to adjust his glasses.

"Someone who's had a vested interest in you for a long time Miss Hekmatyr" he answered enigmatically.

"You didn't answer me" she retorted.

He grinned, and Koko felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"George Black. Chief of the European branch of the National Clandestine Service" he answered politely enough. She narrowed her eyes.

"CIA" she said lowly.

"That's correct. If you wish, you can call me Bookman" the senior chief offered. He glanced at his watch, perhaps he was waiting for someone. Koko took the chance to glance back over the operative and the Witch, affixing a glower on them both.

"That explains you" she said to the scowling human woman before turning to the inhuman one "But not you."

Seconds later the door Koko entered from swung open again, a new man strolling in far faster than she did. She noticed everyone with a uniform went to attention, stiffening up and losing whatever emotion they had. In her field of view, she noticed both Hex and Bookman adopting what was clearly attentive respect as well. From behind her she heard Scarecrow leave the wall and straighten up. The only one who didn't react overtly was Black Gold Saw, but she did set her cup down out of respect.

The new arrival promptly waved them down before taking the chair at the head of the table. Unlike them he wore a blue digital patterned uniform of the US Navy, one that she thought was ridiculous when she first saw it and never changed her opinion of it since. He was an old bald man with a bristling white mustache that radiated command. Koko didn't recognize his appearance at first, but one look at the pipings on his shoulder made her realize his position, and a glance at the ever helpful name tag alerted her to his identity.

"Gentlemen, ladies" Vice Admiral Scott Harbinson Swift, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, greeted in the most perfunctory tone that Koko had ever heard.

"Sir" Bookman and Hex replied in unison.

Vice Admiral Swift nodded in acknowledgment, though she knew he had no reason to. He was a man that held more power than some world leaders, had an area of responsibility spanning thousands of square miles, commanded a force that could squash several countries if ordered, and could muster a smile if he absolutely had to. Many of Koko's nightmares had a scenario much like this one, only she never expected it to ever actually come to pass. The commanding officer flicked his attention on two of the guests aboard his ship, giving the pale woman an uninterested once over before lingering on Black Gold Saw for several seconds.

The Witch nodded, offering her teacup to him after a moment. He shook his head.

"Chief Black. At noon today the Thai Royal Navy contingent I was supposed to be practicing a war game with left the staging area and began steaming back to this country as fast as they could go. The Prime Minister personally called me to request military assistance from Seventh Fleet to put down a large scale terrorist attack on their soil, even making their airfields available to us. When I said I was going to deploy the Marine battalion attached to the fleet they suddenly claimed that there was an unknown biological agent in the city, and refused landing rights. But they're still insisting we continue hostile operations, assuming no friendlies in the area" Swift explained in a clipped tone.

His eyes narrowed "I am not a happy man at present. A long standing ally is all but begging for me to flatten one of their own cities, as soon as humanly possible. I'm told you have answers. I want them. Now."

It was the tone of a man that wasn't going to take a 'no', and woe betide the one that gave it to him anyway. Bookman took a second to clear his throat before he started.

"Strictly speaking Admiral, both of those accounts are correct. The city, Roanapur, is suffering a combined terrorist attack and biological outbreak. The one responsible is a man named

Kaspar, the brother to Koko Hekmatyr here" he explained, gesturing to the handcuffed woman.

Admiral Swift's narrowed further.

"I realize that was vague, but if you will allow me to turn this over to Agent Gold Saw-"

Koko sputtered out a gasp, interrupting the meeting. Swift's hardened gaze swiveled to her, but she wasn't paying attention.

"Excuse me, did you just say agent!?" she demanded incredulously, her eyes bulging.

"Provisional field agent" Bookman elaborated. Koko slumped back into her seat, utterly shocked for the third time since the sun set.

"I always thought 'we have people everywhere' was a load of crap" she muttered.

"Agreed. Care to explain?" Swift asked, phrased in a way that wasn't a question.

"Agent Black Gold Saw has been a mole in Kaspar Hekmatyr's inner circle for quite some time. Until two days ago she's been feeding us information about his intentions and goals, giving us valuable intelligence regarding his activities. However, when she passed along news of this attack, I'm sorry to say none of us quite believed her" Bookman explained apologetically. Koko's hard gaze returned to the smiling Witch.

"You've been spying on Kaspar this whole time" she said lowly. Black Gold Saw nodded.

"It was a lot easier than you think. He assumed that since I was like your own pet" she cheerfully ignored Koko's fresh scowl "I would be loyal to him, and I wouldn't even think of betrayal. I didn't dissuade him from this notion" she explained in a meticulous tone.

"I do not like the mushroom treatment" Swift stated sullenly. Scarecrow chuckled darkly.

Black Gold Saw smiled and took another sip from her tea, savoring the flavor for a moment. Swift did not look pleased at her flagrant lack of respect, adopting a similar glare as Koko until she finally set her cup down.

"Admiral, what am I?" she asked. The older man blinked, frowning as he took in her appearance once more.

"Odd implements aside, you appear to be a woman in her early twenties" he answered carefully. Black Gold Saw's smile grew a notch, and she stood up from her chair to absently push it away. Around the table the half dozen guards tensed.

"A reasonable assumption. But false. Observe" she lifted one claw over the table and clenched it.

Dots of multicolored lights flashed into existence around her hand, coming together to form black metal. Starting as a hilt, the lights danced outwards to transform into a length of black and silver metal. One of the Marines quietly swore, a second later each of them went for their guns. By the time the four sidearms and two rifles were trained on her, there was a large artfully designed sword handing over the table, politely held away from the prisoner.

Koko chanced a glance around, looking for reactions. All six Marines had guns aimed at her, barrels slightly trembling in shock. Scarecrow had his mouth agape, staring in abject amazement at the incredible sight. Even Swift had wide eyes, his decades of discipline protecting him from making an unseemly display. On the other hand, she noticed that while Hex and Bookman watched the display, neither seemed too surprised.

"What in the world...?" Swift murmured, having difficulty keeping his eyes off the masterfully crafted sword that effectively appeared from nowhere.

Black Gold Saw set the sword down on the table, the sharp point a handful of inches away from Koko. The pale woman was seized by a grim picture of the horned Witch ramming the weapon forward with as much strength as she could muster, impaling her where she sat...

The vision passed. Instead of causing any injury with it she slid it sideways, so the hilt was facing the Admiral. Then with the same hand she gently slid it down, inadvertently digging tiny scratches in the table. She kept at it until the sword was within the older man's reach before finally leaning back and dropping back into her chair, an arrogant grin on her features. Swift gave her a well justified glare, but he did silently wave the guards down.

Rather than speak, Black Gold Saw gestured at the sword. Reluctantly the American commander looked away, turning his gaze back to the weapon.

"What kind of metal is this?" he wondered out loud, carefully reaching out to touch it. The black and silver metal felt strange to him; it looked like steel, but the texture was not quite right. Titanium perhaps? His fingers slid over the surface, trying to come up with an answer. He frowned when a rust fleck of all things attached to his finger before he flicked it off.

"Shoddy workmanship" he decided.

His decades of strict military discipline failed him when a snap sounded out and a large crack spread across the body of the blade, blinking in surprise. A few of the Marines watched interestedly as well, having a much more difficult time of keeping their own feelings in check. As the humans watched, the ornately crafted sword was falling apart in front of their eyes. The cracks multiplied exponentially, entire pieces ranging from specks to finger sized slivers simply fell off as the weapon simply disintegrated.

Thirty seconds of stunned observation later, the largest piece remaining was smaller than the Admiral's fingernail. What was (dare he say) an art piece of a sword became little more than a pile of dust.

"Never gets old" Black Gold Saw chuckled. The old man's eyes lifted from the display, noting first the smirk on her features and then discovering that both the CIA agents and the prisoner looked unperturbed.

"What...are you?" Swift finally got out. The horned woman leaned back in her chair, flipping one armor plated leg sideways on top of the other. She directed her head to the Admiral, but there was no doubt she was addressing a sullenly interested Koko as well.

"Tee-ell-dee-are, I'm not human. I'm a living creature, ergo biological. I am quite dangerous, in other words a weapon. QED" she said. She sipped her tea again before proceeding,

"Longer version: we don't have a formal name for ourselves. Used to, we had a civilization, our own culture, that whole setup. That house of cards fell apart a long time ago though, no I don't know how it happened. These days, most of us are little more than feral rabble that will just as soon attack you as say hi. Personally, I'm fond of the term Otherworlder" Black Gold Saw explained loftily.

Koko's eyes narrowed. In response she sent a smirk her way.

"Let me guess, your pet never told you any of this" she probed.

"I gave her a job, I made her welcome. She was never a pet" Koko spat. Bookman leaned forward again, noting the questioning look on the Admiral's face.

"As far as we know, the first of these Otherworlders, we've termed them Oscar Whiskeys in our reports, to come to this planet was encountered by Miss Hekmatyr. She took the girl in" he offered. Swift's curious gaze briefly swiveled to Koko.

"Who are you anyway?" he questioned.

"Koko Hekmatyr, an arms dealer and a terrorist" Hex butted in. She folded in when his hard eyes switched to her.

"That's right" Koko sourly agreed, feeling the bile in her throat. Swift kept his eyes on her for a moment before turning back to Bookman.

"Continuing, that one was apparently the first. There was two others within a month, we're not entirely sure which one arrived first. One was in Woodcrest, Maryland. The other arrived within Roanapur, the same city your forces are bombing. Black Gold Saw was the fourth, but due to the rather chaotic situation here she was identified third" he went on.

"Are there more" Swift asked flatly.

"Yes. Many in fact" Koko picked up in alarm. Bookman took a second to withdraw a sheet of paper, adjusting his glasses before reading.

"Discounting the situation here, in the past three months there's been seventeen confirmed cases all over the world. Perth, Hyderabad, Gdansk, Tripoli, Hong Kong, Santiago, Vancouver, Alamogordo, Brasilia, to name a few. The one of greatest interest is near Cape Town" he said.

"Why?" he questioned. Black Gold Saw took over again.

"Otherworlders arrive in this world via tears in reality, portals for lack of a better term. They appear at random times and random locations, though I've noticed that they always seem to form near large concentrations of humans" she explained.

Hex, who apart from the insulting outbursts was largely quiet thus far, added "These portals never last more than a few minutes at a time. Just long enough for one of them to slip through if they find one. The one exception is near Cape Town. We're not sure how long that ones been active, weeks at least."

Something clicked in Koko's mind.

"Doctor Miami" she blurted out. Bookman nodded.

"That's right. Your friend discovered it. Thanks to an accident, Black Gold Saw was able to track it down and reveal it's existence to Kaspar." Swift narrowed his eyes.

"So, that's where you things come from. I can guess this Kaspar was able to gather up hundreds of Otherworlders thanks to this effectively permanent portal?" he checked. To Koko's quiet respect, he seemed to get over his shock quickly.

"That's right. Oh, and it wasn't hundreds. Two thousand four hundred and nineteen to be exact, myself exempted" she easily, smirking at the wide eyes and dropped jaw of Swift and Koko respectively.

Vice Admiral Swift rose back to his feet fast, taking a moment to breathe deeply.

"Chief Black, Miss Hekmatyr. Seeing as you two have the greatest experience with these...these Otherworlders, what would you classify their threat assessment at?" he asked lowly, authoritative but visibly strained.

"Take a good long look at the city Admiral. You can figure out the rest" Koko stated flatly. Bookman could only nod in agreement.

"Deploying the Marines now isn't going to accomplish much besides wasting the lives of good men" he advised. He began to walk away, but a set of metal knuckles rapping against the table surface caught his attention.

"There's one question you forgot to ask" Black Gold Saw pointed out with a grin. Swift narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sure you'd love to enlighten us" he said dryly.

"I do indeed. The question being 'why here?' Why a city of a hundred and thirty thousand people in effectively the middle of nowhere? Why not London or New York? Shanghai even" she leaned back in her chair, her cocky smile never wavering.

A snort reminded everyone of their last guest. Scarecrow gave a respectful nod at the Admiral before he spoke.

"I figured that out on my own. The fact is there is you can't find a better place. High population density, super high crime rate, probably averaging twenty or thirty guns per resident if you compare numbers. Good replica of an urban battlefield, with the benefit of the site being completely expendable. I'm guessing this was basically a field test, throw a big mob with no training at them and watch what happens. If it works, brand new weapon is on the market. If it doesn't, someone else cleans up after him. Either way, this is the end of Roanapur, the greatest shithole in the region" Scarecrow explained grimly.

A genuine scowl came over the Admiral. He wasn't the only one, the Marines looked like they wanted to vent some frustration on the horned woman.

"He timed this attack with Operation Shaman. We're cleaning up his mess and there's nothing we can do about it" he snarled indignantly.

Vice Admiral Swift turned and stormed out of the room, two of the guards jogging after him. Once the door slammed shut again, the rifle toting guards took up their old vigil locations while Scarecrow slumped into the chair near Koko with a groan.

"I'm impressed Scarecrow" she admitted. The agent that had been hounding her for quite some time, one that she regarded as little more than a nuisance, smiled sheepishly.

"Gotta give Schokolade credit this time. She's the one that put two and two together" he admitted himself.

Koko smiled. When she turned her head back to the three across from her it quickly morphed into a scowl.

"Before you start" she preempted both Bookman and Hex "First priority is finding Kaspar."

A small smile and a vicious smirk came over the respective Central Intelligence Agency employees.

"I imagine after that little show Swift's going to task half the fleet to finding him. Simple arms dealing is one thing, but after this stunt I'll make sure half the planet is going to be after him" Bookman agreed.

"While there's nothing I want more than to torture you to death" Hex flashed a glare at her "I'll settle for this bastard's head this time. But mark my words, once he's dead I'm coming for you" she promised. In response Koko smirked.

"Glad to see you care. Now, there's one thing I want to know before you question me or whatever it is you're going to do" when her eyes rested on a still smiling Black Gold Saw, refined loathing seeped into her voice.

"Why did you kill Jonah" Koko questioned icily. Scarecrow blinked, seeing that coldness in her once more.

Black Gold Saw didn't seem to care that she made an eternal enemy of the pale woman. She leaned back, the cocky smile never leaving her.

"How about I tell you a little tale?" she offered.

"What makes you think I give a fuck?" Koko answered back.

"Because I'm largely certain I saved your life a while ago. Besides, you're not in control here" she pointed out.

Koko leaned back in her chair, her calm blue eyes never leaving her "Go ahead then. Enlighten me" she said sulkily.

Black Gold Saw poured herself a fresh cup of tea, noting with disappointment that it had gone cold. She took a sip and told the woman her tale.

 **A/N: There. Hope that answered a lot of your guys' questions. Hopefully that didn't make a whole batch of new ones though. I realize I cut out a pretty important part, but that'll have to be saved for the next chapter. Don't want to dump all this on you at once. *sigh* Not much of this has went according to schedule.**

 **By the way, Vice Admiral Scott Swift was the real Commander of the US Seventh Fleet from September 2011 to July of 2013. To anyone that knows of the man, I know his portrayal here is hardly accurate. If Swift himself is reading this, sorry. I really didn't want to make up a character for such an important posting, just didn't feel right. In my defense, the current US Navy uniform _is_ goofy looking. Just, blue camo? Really?**


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Yay, another filler chapter. At least this one hopefully answers the last of your guys's questions. At eight thousand words I'd hope so.**

* * *

Alexandria outskirts, two months earlier...

Black Gold Saw stood up to her full height, taking in her new surroundings at last. The young girl with the two toned hair she had briefly tormented curled into a ball once her attention left her, whimpering in terror. While seeing her reactions was certainly amusing, she had to admit there was more important things to be doing than watching the human's fear. So it was without any shred of pity or remorse that she turned away, feeling uncomfortably out of her depth.

Thirty minutes earlier a black spherical object that appeared outside of her lair caught the woman's attention, and like a fool she tried to mess with it. Less than ten seconds after sticking a hand in it she was sucked in, only to be deposited into a place that was close to opposite of her own painstakingly rebuilt realm. Whereas home was generally dim, here there was a blazing sun to illuminate everything. Her realm was cool, this place had heat waves that threatened to overwhelm her. Seemingly the only thing they had in common was the dust. While the dust of this place was more of a scratching silica it still coated everything, just like her realm.

Nearby the large white box caught her gaze, bringing her to it. An experimental rap of her knuckles tested a door's strength, finding it wanting. However, when she heard voices from inside she summoned her weapon. Black Gold Saw admitted to herself she may had overreacted a little by beheading him rather than speaking, it was a human of all things. Shouts from the inside indicated others, so it was with a wistful sigh she entered to deal with them.

The very large man with the thing covering his head had earned a degree of Black Gold Saw's respect when, instead of cowering, he immediately charged her with a two handled weapon at the ready. Not that the display saved him; he may have been brave but charging headlong at her could only end one way. Once she thrusted her sword through his chest, she heard someone muttering insults from behind the man.

To her amazement, the human girl looked incredibly alike to one of her kind, so much so it caught her off guard for a moment. Once she froze up though the similarity dissipated. No member of her race would give up that easily, especially with a fearsome weapon like the gun she had. Black Gold Saw tried to gather some information from her, but once she smelled the urine that freely left her bowels she decided that this was a dead end. Her high pitched scream caught her off guard again, but no follow up convinced her of the pointlessness of the task.

So after standing up to survey the cramped room (did all humans live like this?) Black Gold Saw pondered her next move. Her first act of checking to see if the strange orb was still there made her curse, one that no human would recognize. She lowered her horned head from the window and planted a metal hand on the table, feeling the definitively unwelcome sense of dread. While her knowledge of humans was severely limited beyond the basics of how to kill them, she didn't need to think hard to guess how they would react to her. In the end she would fare as well in their home as one of them in hers.

Something caught her eye. Frowning, she moved her hand out of the way, discovering a scattered pile of papers underneath. She moved one around so she could read it, finding out to her relief that it was writing she could actually understand. Most of the information was gibberish to her unfortunately, though her eyes lingered on the brown skinned boy in the picture in the corner for some reason she couldn't explain. Out of growing curiosity she pushed it aside for the dozen or so other papers, finding similar useless information on them. Whatever odd effect the first picture had was lacking for these ones. She read names and skimmed over the blocks of words, looking for anything useful.

Then she found it.

One paper, with far less writing on it than the others. Better than half the page was blank in fact. But that wasn't what made her stop and take notice. What did was the picture in the corner like the rest. It showed a young girl, about the same age as the one in the back of the living space. Skin so pale it seemed nearly translucent, twin pigtailed black hair that stood out of the borders of the picture, a top of a black jacket revealing a bikini topped chest that would be appealing if she had anything to flaunt, and a pretty yet unsmiling face. The pair of blank eyes that stared into the camera were unnaturally blue, with gear patterns within the irises. Black Gold Saw blinked, then smiled.

"So, you're here too" she murmured. She reread the little information on the paper, bringing out a little chuckle when she read 'Blake R Sauders' with a question mark behind it (once she realized the connection of course).

A few seconds later she dug up one of the papers she skimmed, this one showing a pale woman that looked a little older than herself with white hair and a smile. Then came the obvious question, where did this information come from?

She looked at the floor, where the head of the first human still lay. Most likely he was the one that knew the answer. Her regret at killing him so soon grew by leaps and bounds, growing from infinitesimal to slight. A glance at the corner showed the girl to be still in the same place she left her, curled up into a ball and quivering. She decided that option was a waste of time and went back to the papers, looking for anything that might give her a clue of how to proceed.

In the end Black Gold Saw had to resort to something she generally refrained from doing out of well deserved paranoia. She closed her eyes and focused, bringing her mind to peace to reach out. It took longer than usual, perhaps owing to her location. Then she felt it, a feather touch of a mind wholly separate from her own. Strange thoughts, alien thoughts, flickered in her own mind. Flashes of memories that weren't hers flitted behind her eyelids.

What she was doing was a rare ability, something that only a small minority of her kind could do, and even smaller actually did. She clenched her eyes hard and focused on what she needed, determined to take no longer than necessary. In truth this was only the fifth time she had ever done this; though she didn't know for certain she suspected that the process was not one way. If this Other that she was mentally raiding became fully aware of her, she feared that they would be more than happy to repay the favor.

Once she thought she had the information she needed Black Gold Saw severed the connection. The faint warmth in her skull became a spike of pain, and her legs fell out from under her. She was lucky there was a seat right by her, avoiding the congealing blood on the floor from touching her. A thorough cleaning was not something she wanted to do, but she stood out enough without being covered in gore.

Minutes passed before the pain receded enough for her to open her eyes again. Black Gold Saw now knew what she needed, suppressing a shiver at the memory of the contact.

The first man's body was still where she left it, and after checking his pockets she found a small black plastic rectangle that was heavier than it's size suggested. A cellular phone, a rather cheap one (she pushed the thought of critiquing the device's quality out of her mind). After that she returned to the table, needing several more minutes until she found what she wanted. To her mild annoyance she read over the information twice now without realizing it's importance.

Black Gold Saw frowned at the tiny machine in her palm. The thing was built with human ergonomics in mind, not her kind's. To be blunt her hands were too large. She groaned before setting herself to the task, using much more care than she was used to doing. Flipping the cell open was easy enough, but pressing the requisite buttons took extra care without putting a sharp claw through it. She doubted that she would find another as easily as this one, making her be deliberate with every move she made.

The thought crossed her mind of contacting the pale woman woman, this 'Koko Hekmatyr.' A string of numbers that could've been her own address -phone number she corrected- was right on the paper after all. But as soon as the thought passed she dismissed it. The moment she identified the caller she would turn to the girl in her possession, and no matter how badly she treated the girl it was unlikely she would have anything kind to say about her. And she assumed Hekmatyr would not allow her to fall under the sway of anyone else.

Ten seconds was the maximum amount of time the cell's former owner needed to dial a number. Black Gold Saw accomplished the same task in eighty seconds instead. Once she clicked the green call button she gently pinched the sides to lift it off her hand, bringing it up to left her other hand take ahold of it. She had it in an uncomfortable but unavoidable grip, then placed to her ear. Just as it reached the spot a click sounded from the other end.

"What is it?" questioned a strange deep voice. It sounded fundamentally wrong, and she briefly hesitated.

"Who are you?" she said back, pushing her concerns aside for the moment.

The voice on the other end was silent for a moment, making her fear they abandoned the call.

"What is the status of Dominique?" the unsettling voice asked suddenly. Black Gold Saw glanced at the floor where the first man's head still lay, contemplating a response.

"He's indisposed. As of this moment however I am talking to you" she pointed out.

"Who are you affiliated with?" the speaker demanded.

"Right now, myself. I'm looking at a number of papers at this second, am I to assume that they came from you?" Black Gold Saw asked playfully.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hang up on you this instant" the speaker challenged. Black Gold Saw grinned, belying her worry.

"Because theres one paper here that shows someone you know little about. What if I told you I am something similar?" she posed.

Unconsciously she held her breath. She knew she had one chance for this, if it didn't work then she'd be in dire straits.

"Explain." Black Gold Saw broke out in a wide smile.

"I'll come clean. There's two men in this RV. They were alive when I found them" she admitted.

"You're not convincing me" the speaker said dryly.

"I killed them with a sword" she said.

"How chivalrous. You have ten seconds before I hang up" the speaker told her.

Black Gold Saw pursed her lips. This wasn't going as she wanted it to.

"How about we meet face to face and you'll see for yourself" she offered.

"Five seconds." Now she frowned.

"Then I'll go to Hekmatyr. These men were after her apparently" she said dismissively, holding her breath.

There was no response from the other end. But there wasn't a click of a severed line either.

"And then what?" the speaker said contemptuously. Silently she exhaled.

"Probably offer my services to her instead. Given her association with this girl, this paper claims her name to be Blake, I believe she'd be much more appreciative of my talents than you" she offered loftily.

"If that's the case then why'd you go to the trouble of calling me?" the speaker questioned.

"I have my reasons" Black Gold Saw answered enigmatically.

"Very well. Be at the Al Jezara motel in Alexandria at midnight. Come alone and unarmed" the speaker said flatly.

"I'll be waiting" she finished.

The line clicked dead, allowing her to drop the tiny device from her sore grip. With that finished, Black Gold Saw stood up and absently cracked her neck. She spared a glance at the girl, who had hardly moved during the entire conversation. Her existence presented an interesting conundrum that she initially didn't consider. What was she going to do with her?

Killing her was her first thought, how to kill her was the second. It wouldn't be hard, the girl was nearly catatonic. No movement beyond some trembling, no sounds other than whimpers. She was a target that was proving cooperative to the point of suicide. There was no need for the King Blade, her hands alone would do the trick. Whether stabbing her through the eyes with the claws, snapping her neck, or just wrapping her large grip around her throat and squeezing, it would be easy. Black Gold Saw actually felt some slight indignation at the lack of effort.

She weighed the pros and cons of the action, surprising herself when she realized she was reconsidering. The girl could recover and tell the other humans what did this in fine detail, identifying her attacker. There were two bodies here already, what was one more? On the other claw, it was possible that she wouldn't recover. If that was the case, she could make a clean getaway and no one would be the wiser.

What made up her mind was, somewhat predictably, the human's response. Two dead was bad, a third just might convince them she was too great a danger. But more than that, she was unarmed and helpless. It might seem to others as if the two bodies tried to attack her, justifying her actions to them. Taking this one's life would only make her look like the monster she was. She made up her mind.

"You're lucky little girl" Black Gold Saw said sweetly, giving her a wink and a smile as a bonus. The girl named Lilliane didn't react, even as the horned monster from the depths of her nightmares tore open several cabinets in search of a map. Ten minutes and a quick raid of Dominique's and Grégoire's fridge then she was off, leaving her alone to be found by a tourist (and later the police) several hours from now.

 _Hours later..._

A blue two door sedan gently pulled up to the plain two story motel, gently moving into an empty parking spot before the driver killed the engine. Seconds later both the doors opened, exposing two men to the warm night. Unlike the local people these two men were of Anglo extraction, both wearing unassuming polos and jeans. In the hands of the men were small handguns.

Black Gold Saw resisted the urge to chuckle to herself. The men were sweeping their gazes from side to side, one gesturing to the other to move away. Neither had thought to look up, to the roof of the building where she had been lying in wait since shortly after the sun had set. The waiting bored her to tears, but she held on and stayed put. Her patience was paying off now.

She waited until the two men had left the car out of their sight before she brought herself up off the cooling roof. Such an elaborate action was perhaps unnecessary, but in this strange world she found herself in hammered home the idea of being careful. Her stolen memories had failed to prepare her for even a tiny fraction of the things she had witnessed in just the past few hours.

A two story fall would be simple for her to deal with, but there was the risk of altering either the Anglos or the uniformed men she'd seen prowling around. Dropping down one level at a time was safer, and more importantly, quieter. To her relief, she made practically no noise for the entire way down. Compared to that, quickly darting to the car for concealment was child's play.

A few minutes later the Anglos came back, still alert but much more relaxed than when they arrived. She waited until they were within ten feet of the car before she revealed herself, popping up straight with her large metal hands held up and wide open.

"The fuck!?" one exclaimed. As she predicted, the first thing they did was snap their guns up at her. Though she knew what the unassuming objects could do, she didn't let them intimidate her in the slightest.

"Greetings" Black Gold Saw said easily in her meticulous voice, slowly stepping around the car while keeping her arms up.

The guns tracked her, the wide eyes of the two men drinking in her bizarre appearance. She stopped once she was fully exposed to them, purposely keeping a knowing smile on.

"So, can I assume one of you are the individual I spoke to earlier?" she inquired. One of the men turned to the other with a cautious look.

"N-no" the second admitted, his gun wavering a little. Her smile slipped away as she lowered her arms.

"Too bad" Black Gold Saw said darkly. Both men twitched.

"Hey there" the first took a hand off his gun to hold out, palm flattened "We work for them. Just need to make sure you are who you claim to be."

Black Gold Saw curled her arm up and clicked her fingers against the palm in a ripple, creating a quick series of clicking sounds. The man gulped.

"I think this is the one Tim" the second said lowly.

Within a few seconds of each other the men slowly lowered their handguns, though their fingers kept on their respective triggers. Black Gold Saw regrew her smile in record time, incidentally flashing her short fangs at them.

"Let's go" she said, gesturing with her metal hand at the car, politely enjoying the visible fear that was coming off the two.

 _Dawn, 200 miles away..._

It was a simple meeting place in the vast and empty desert that the two men took Black Gold Saw to. They had her ride in the front seat, the first man driving with a gun in one hand, the second sitting behind her with the gun not quite poking her side. It moved only when the car hit a bump or the man needed to move his sore muscles, a fact that annoyed her. Playing with the stereo alleviated some of her crushing boredom, despite their clear dislike of her actions.

"We're here" the driver announced, making her look away from the wonderfully dull view of nothingness that was the side window for the past two hours. She pushed herself up as much as she could, her horns kept her slumped back in the seat for the entire ride.

'Here' was an arbitrary point in the empty road, distinguishable only because there was something that shouldn't be there, several things in fact. The two large black SUVs blocking the road caught Black Gold Saw's eye second, after the grey painted Hind that was parked a short distance from the road. In comparison the dozen or so armed humans around the vehicles with weapons not yet pointed at the car hardly warranted her attention.

"Out" the driver commanded once he shut the car off. She gave him one last dry look at his lack of action before silently huffing.

Neither of the men made a move to help her out other than unlocking the door, making the Otherworlder open the door herself. It was easier than she wanted to admit, the handle was large enough for her to wrap a finger around the loop. Her muscles protested at the activity after hours of stillness, causing her to take a moment to stretch first. Her red gaze lazily moved over to the group of humans, noting that the much larger and far more numerous guns they had were now trained on her instead. With a dramatic sigh she turned and strode their way, disregarding the hard scowls coming her way.

Black Gold Saw stopped twenty feet away from the first SUV, staring down the tense humans with a look of utter boredom. When someone stepped out from behind the lead vehicle it faded away.

Thirties, pretty, with long brown hair and clad in a set of airy clothes not dissimilar to the two men in the car were the third set of details she picked up. The second was the way the mixed group suddenly moved around her, showing clear deference to her own position. The first, and the one that intrigued her the most, was her eyes. They were a plain shade of brown, like what humans tended to have in her experience. But it was the look in them that made her take notice.

There was a coldness to her gaze, one that reminded Black Gold Saw more of her own kind than a mere human. She knew in that moment that this was the one she spoke to on the phone yesterday, and above all she was not to underestimate her.

"You are?" Black Gold Saw asked dryly.

"You first" the woman countered, utterly unfazed by her appearance. A wry grin came over the horned woman.

"I like you" she said easily. The look in her eyes never changed, but several of the men exchanged confused looks.

"Name" she repeated.

"I am Black Gold Saw" she answered, crossing her arms and mentally preparing to summon her sword.

She waited several seconds before replying with a clipped "Really."

"And you?" Black Gold Saw gently pressed, making several small movements to her limbs that hopefully wouldn't tip off the humans of what she was preparing to do.

"Irrelevant. What do you know about Hekmatyr?" the woman questioned flatly.

"Only what the paper said. One of her people though, I know a great deal about her" she answered instead, lowering her arms and gently taking a step closer.

"What do you know and how do you know it?" she relentlessly questioned.

"To answer the second first, because I'm like her. Want to see something interesting?" Black Gold Saw asked playfully with a small smile to boot.

"You have ten seconds" she stated.

Black Gold Saw held a hand apart from her body, clenching her hand into a fist. Multicolored lights came into existence, briefly swarming around her hand before coming together. It began as a black hilt, constructing black metal in a mesmerizing display. Deliberately she slowed the process down, not so much to awe them as to keep the various humans looking at it instead of her. There was only so much she could do though, within a seconds the last of the lights attached to the flat side of the large sword.

She took a second to idly twirl it around, noting that all of them had wide eyes on it. All save the woman, who's cold gaze stayed on her in an amazing demonstration of will.

The woman alone reacted in time when Black Gold Saw darted away, going for the gun strapped to her hip as the horned woman moved faster than near anything else in the world. A few of the men were quick enough to snap up their own weapons, fractions of a second too slow to stop her. The woman snapped off a single shot before the Otherworlder reached her, whistling by her neck with an inch to spare.

Black Gold Saw slammed into the woman, wrenching the gun out of the way first. She attempted to struggle even as she felt the great strength within her attacker, no matter how fruitless it was. Fortunately for her, the grinning attacker had other ideas. The woman stopped only when she felt the sharp edge of the large sword press up against her chest, a few inches from her neck.

She struggled anyway for a moment, more to readjust her position than to free herself. Black Gold Saw's grinning face was only inches away, yet her hard expression never lifted.

"So, to repeat myself for the last time, who are you?" the horned woman asked politely, keeping the sword pressed against the woman, pinning her to the car. Around her she was aware that every one of the men had their guns pointed at her back.

"Hex" the woman said after a few seconds. She earned Black Gold Saw's respect when, instead of fear, she showed only defiance.

"Good, pleasure to meet you. Now that I know who you are, we can get down to business" she said.

"Kill me and they'll kill you" Hex threatened.

"Too bad you won't see it. Now, to business" Black Gold Saw replied.

Hex didn't respond for a moment, staring defiantly into her unusual red eyes.

"What do you want?" she questioned lowly.

"First, tell these men to lower their guns" she commanded, pressing the edge of the sword closer to get her point across. The blade cut through her shirt, some dripping blood staining the spot underneath the contact point.

Hex looked away and nodded at the closest man. He did not look happy at all, but he did lower his rifle and directed the others to do the same.

"Great. Now, I want a job" Black Gold Saw added.

"Anything else?" Hex asked sarcastically.

"Not right now. In exchange, I'll kill this Hekmatyr for you" she offered. Hex narrowed her eyes, hate briefly replacing the contempt in her features.

"Not a chance bitch" she half snarled.

"Then I'll help you kill her. Deal?" Black Gold Saw questioned.

Hex schooled her features back to what they were before, thinking over the offer. When she nodded once Black Gold Saw pulled away, taking her sword with her.

The men's weapons went back up at once, this time not watching the sword dissipate into oblivion. Hex allowed herself the luxury of checking where the sword touched her, finding it to be a long but shallow cut. If it wasn't for who she just watched inflict the wound, she wouldn't had given it another thought. When her eyes went back up, she saw Black Gold Saw standing a few feet away with her arms crossed and a smirk on her features. She kept her geared iris's on her, not giving the armed men a single glance.

Hex considered ordering the men to shoot her down anyway; there was no way she could dodge that many bullets, and given the report on the other one she doubted the inhuman thing could survive getting shot repeatedly. On the other hand...

"What are you willing to do?" Hex questioned.

"Not dying. Oh, and a suitable recompense of course. Other than that, give the word" Black Gold Saw answered.

Hex smiled for the first time in days. She wasn't one to turn down opportunities, especially when they just fell in her lap like this.

* * *

"Two days later I met with Mister Black here" she lazily lifted a finger to the portly man "And he made me a provisional field operative. Less than a week later I was covertly inserted into Jakarta, and with a small bomb to go with a bag of dust, I was 'found' by Kaspar. The rest, as they say, is history" Black Gold Saw finished with a small flourish.

"Even while undercover, she did manage to assist us with dealing with several Otherworlders around the world. Two of them in Latvia were persuaded to enter custody thanks to her" Bookman added.

Koko's flat, borderline angry expression never changed throughout the forty five minute story. Coincidentally, neither did Hex's.

"I think you forgot something" she said at last. The horned woman leaned forward a bit, her grin never fading.

"Oh?"

"You're mothers maiden name" Koko deadpanned. Scarecrow snorted.

"I'm never going to bitch about briefings again" he muttered. At last she frowned, joining Hex in her disapproval.

"And you made the mistake of not finishing her off. If you did it at all" she accused, giving a dirty look to the brunette.

Hex scowled and brought a hand up to her shirt collar. Mindful of the half dozen men in the room, she pulled it down just far enough to show a thin scar about four inches long before snapping it back.

"More to the point" Koko interrupted before she could speak "You never answered my question."

Bookman cleared his throat, finding it odd that despite his position he did not want to take control of the conversation. Considering that all three females in the room could kill him in under two seconds, he decided that was a wise decision.

"In her defense, I have been wondering that myself. What end did that serve?" he asked.

Black Gold Saw's frown dipped further.

"A miscalculation on my part" she said quietly. Koko's gaze narrowed

"A miscalculation" she repeated coldly.

"My plan was to break away from Kaspar without him realizing it was an escape. The boy was the means to that end. What I was hoping to do was grab him, make sure he could escape from my clutches, and grab a weapon. In the chaos, I'd slip away. Failing that, seeing the death of her friend would make Black Rock Shooter attack me with renewed vigor, again giving me the chance" she looked away, almost nervously "However, I made a...grievous miscalculation."

"Your little pet-" Hex began, but Koko slammed her handcuffed fists on the table, startling the formerly bored Marines back into alertness.

"She is not a _pet_. Black Rock Shooter is my employee, I trust her with my life" she had to force herself not to snarl. Rather than be put off Hex snorted.

"Those days are over. I don't give a damn what she was before, but right now, she's a monster" she said.

"That's closer to the truth than you realize" Black Gold Saw interjected. Bookman frowned in confusion.

"I don't understand" he said, his tone hinting for the women to speak.

"As of several hours ago, the one called Black Rock Shooter underwent a transformation. It's a rare ability, she's the only one I've ever encountered in person that is like this. When one undergoes such a transformation, they gain great power at the cost of all reason" Black Gold Saw explained, showing a faint trace of fear.

"Great power?" Scarecrow asked confusedly.

"Increased speed and greater strength primarily. It takes a severe emotional imbalance to trigger this though" she answered.

"Durable as hell too. Comm chatter from the Thais claimed they unloaded everything they had and it barely slowed her down. I thought they were just incompetent until we picked up this bitch" Hex jabbed a thumb at the woman a seat apart from her "Took two bursts from the minigun just to drive her off."

"So, strong as hell, bulletproof, and ungodly pissed. Sounds like the Hulk" Scarecrow piped up. Bookman nodded thoughtfully at the interruption, idly noting several of the Marines exchanging worried looks.

"From what little I know that character that is relatively close to her current state" Black Gold Saw agreed.

"So, what triggered this?" Bookman asked.

"I'm not entirely sure actually. I'm thinking it was rage, like before" Black Gold Saw mused. Suddenly her eyes went wide and her mouth clamped shut, too late to fix her mistake.

Koko leaned forward, a ghost of a smile gracing her features "Before?"

"...Yes. I've encountered this Insane form before" she admitted carefully.

"And since she just underwent this process here, that means it's not permanent. Is it?" she pressed. Black Gold Saw leaned back in her chair as far as she could, wondering how she had ended up on the defensive like this.

"Right. Normally it would take a while for her to burn herself out before she reverted, but given how crowded this world is, I'm not sure if that could work" she hurriedly explained.

"Options?" Bookman questioned.

"Could just kill her" Hex offered, dismissing Koko's hard glare.

"That'll be difficult unless you can get some very large weapons pointed at her. Anything man portable is ineffective at best. The Pecheneg I grabbed didn't even make her flinch. Knew I should've sprung for the KPV" she muttered the last bit.

"Anything else?" the CIA chief pressed, grabbing a few papers in preparation of leaving.

"Killing her would be your best bet. Unless" Black Gold Saw looked away. Both of the humans on her side of the table looked at her askance.

"Unless?" Koko repeated.

"Unless it wasn't necessarily anger that caused this, but grief. I've been curious for some time now, just how close was she and the boy?" she asked suddenly.

"Trusted each other explicitly. Why?" Koko questioned back.

"Perhaps...she is very introverted. I'm guessing the boy is too" Black Gold Saw said more to herself.

"What, do you think-" Koko stopped talking. She froze in place, blinking repeatedly. Scarecrow gave her a confused look.

"Do you think...?" he repeated.

"You said _'is_ '" her voice was near hoarse.

Bookman stood up and organized the last of his papers. He took a deep breath before gesturing to the guards.

"Sergeant, escort the prisoner to the infirmary" he ordered.

* * *

Life aboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier is never dull, and never entirely safe. Even at this hour, the spacious area had more than two dozen other patients inside. The men and women's problems ranged from common ailments such as colds to one case of a broken arm, nothing life threatening at this time fortunately. Though if the amphibious assault that the rumor mill had hinted at came to be, the doctors would be very busy, very shortly.

One section was partitioned off from the rest of the bay, with two M4 armed guards posted around it to persuade anyone without authorization to move along. Both guards turned to attention to the small party that entered, an odd blend of Marines and civilians (with a handcuffed one held between two of the uniformed guards). The men waited until the lead guard went up to them offering an ID. A quick confirmation later and the infirmary guard saluted and let them pass, giving the young woman with horns and metal claws a suspicious glance. One man in the party detached from them and headed off for some other task.

Only Koko, the guard leading her, and Bookman entered first. A naval doctor was checking some of the equipment, but looked up to see the interruption of his work. However, one look at the woman's face made him pause, and a slight gesture of the guard's head made him respectfully back away. The thin bed, the machines showing data, and the patient were left in full view of the four, heedless of procedure.

An idle part of Koko's mind was thankful the Marine was beside her for once, since her legs threatened to give out from under her. That same part noted her enemy enter in behind her, along with a silent Scarecrow.

He seemed so small in a bed built to accommodate very large patients, looking at peace for the first time that she'd ever seen. His original clothes were gone, cut apart and left in a tiny pile with the rest of the belongings on him at the foot of the bed. Instead he wore a plain white hospital gown. An IV was hooked up to his arm, and a series of wires were patched to his chest. One of the machines beat regularly, showing a steady heartbeat. The boy's sleeping face was untouched, all except for the tiny scar on his cheek.

" _Jonah_ " Koko whispered with wide eyes. Numbly she turned her head, intending to see Bookman but meeting the doctor first.

"He was in a rough way when they hauled him in, blood loss, shock, and extensive trauma. That gunshot wound to the torso, looked like a high caliber round, really did a number on him. But right now, he's stable. It's incredible" the uniformed doctor shook his head. She waited until he was finished before swiveling to the bespectacled man.

"How?" was the most she could get out, forcing herself to not throw herself onto the unconscious boy and never let go again.

"This wasn't me" he said simply, giving a nod sideways. Koko didn't think her shock could reach new heights, but it did anyway when she turned further.

"My team was on standby to take out Kaspar. We were ready to engage, but your people jumped them first, blew our chance. Once the dust cleared, we went in and found the kid there. Got shot in the torso, but he was somehow still alive. Seeing as our plan was fubar, we signaled for evac and took him along. You should've seen Gold Saw's face when she spotted him in the chopper with us" Hex explained, a grin battling her constant scowl at the woman.

"You...saved him" she said disbelievingly.

"For no greater reason than to threaten you" she retorted.

"Good thing you did. The bullet only hit his kidney, but it sill tore him up badly. By all rights, immediate medical attention or not, this kid should be dead" the doctor told them.

"Wow" Scarecrow mumbled.

Koko looked back at the bed, unable to believe her own eyes. Some conversation continued on behind her, but she wasn't paying attention. Her attention was fixated in the sight of Jonah, sleeping peacefully in front of her. Her knowledge of medicine slowly creeped into her mind though, and came to the ugly thought of what was going to happen to him next. If he was unconscious too long, if he lost too much blood...then he would be gone regardless. He would live, but he would be an empty shell. She railed against that thought as much as possible.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she snapped her head over to snarl at them. But the words died in her throat, mercifully out of puzzlement instead of shock this time.

"R?"

Her bodyguard and friend retracted his hand. Koko noted many things, but the first and most pressing was the lack of any sort of restraint on him.

"Koko" he greeted quietly, not looking her in the eye for more than a couple of seconds.

"Why are you here?" she asked, looking at the other people askance. The doctor grumbled something about "delicate condition" before exiting the makeshift room.

"Koko, there's no easy way to say this" R began before looking away, to the bed. Hope flared in his eyes at the sight.

"I don't..." Koko trailed off, an ugly picture forming in her head. The CIA chief looking away from her questioning gaze cinched an idea she desperately wished wasn't so.

"I'm a spy Koko. The whole time I've been working for you, I've been feeding information to Saw" he jerked his head to the portly man.

The pale woman was silent for a long minute, processing the confession with uncharacteristic slowness. Unexpectedly she dropped her head and snorted.

"Today is just one long train ride of surprises. My brother kidnapped my friend, unleashed an army of monsters onto a city, I get told Jonah is dead and Rock went schizo, got captured by the US Navy, then it turns out Jonah is still alive. Now you're telling me you've been a spy this whole time" despite everything that had happened a giggle escaped her before she sighed.

"I need a damn drink" she muttered. R sighed.

"You're not the only one" he said in kind.

"Renato was only passing-" Bookman explained.

"Shut up" Koko snapped, and to her surprise he closed his mouth.

"Now, why are you telling me this?" she questioned.

"You and the rest of the team are going to be tried. They're getting life, you're most likely getting death. I'm legally immune, have been this whole time. I...I guess I had to tell you. Wasn't sure if I was going to get another chance" he guiltily explained.

"Makes sense" she agreed, sounding far too casual.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I went into this thinking you were just another arms dealer, and you turn out to be the best boss I've ever had. The past three years, the best of my entire life" he looked away.

Koko chuckled, making him look back. To his astonishment, a genuine smile was on her features.

"Cheer up, I'll get us out of this mess" she told him, even giving him a playful jab in spite of the guard's disapproving look. R's jaw dropped.

"Did you not listen to a thing he just said?" Hex snapped.

"Heard, didn't care. Maybe everything that's happened finally made me snap, and I no longer care about anything. Or, hell, I'm just so happy Jonah is alive I'm willing to disregard it. Honestly, compared to everything else that's happened this is pretty low key" Koko genially shrugged.

"But, but I-" R tried to get out. Bookman was looking at her with confusion, Scarecrow appeared dumbfounded, and the Marine kept one of his eyebrows raised at the entire exchange.

"Hush up. Just keep your eyes open, I'll figure this out. First order of business is getting out of here, next is finding Kaspar" she turned to the fuming Hex "Maybe I'll send you a video of his death, will that make you happy?" she cheekily offered. R sputtered out a breath and dropped his head, shaking it after a few seconds.

"I don't believe you" he murmured.

"I'm not God R, I don't need belief. Just trust, luck, and some reliable people" Koko answered before she reached up with both hands to pat his shoulder "And wouldn't you know it, here's someone who fits the bill."

Whatever any of them were going to say next was forgotten when the guard's radio crackled.

"Bridge to all security teams. We have potential hostile on the flight deck, report at once, this is not a drill, repeat, this is not a drill" a grim voice rattled off. The Marine checked the radio with a frown, giving his charges an uncertain glance.

"Sergeant, we need to move" Hex snapped off, already moving out of the room and breaking off into a sprint away. Bookman nodded, his long ago training coming back to him.

"Keep an eye on both of them, but we need to get up there" he commanded.

"Sir" the Marine didn't question the odd order, he made it happen.

To Koko's mild annoyance the handcuffs stayed on her while R went free, even though he was clearly the more dangerous of the pair. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't keep pushing her along into a light job, constantly trying to get her to move faster.

Her unspoken griping came to an end when they reached one of the elevators. A scattered stream of Marines were moving out, the lightest weapons they carried were M4s. She saw plenty of M249s, AT-4s, and several Javelins. Whatever was on the flight deck must have been very dangerous if they were grabbing so much firepower. In turn, that made her wonder why she was being taken along as well.

Even the stairways were crowded, but not nearly to the same degree as the others. Several of the Marines gave them odd looks, none staying by long enough to voice any concerns. R led the group, the free Marine behind him, Koko plus her handler behind them, and Scarecrow staying close to a huffing Bookman at the back. Three decks of this the party went through, by the end they were all dripping sweat when they finally exited to the warm smoke tinged night.

Koko got one look at the thing that had everyone so worked up, and knew she was out of her depth.

It was a silver orb, ten feet in diameter and floating several feet above the flight deck. It's surface was faintly reflective, showing indistinct details of the things in front of it. Someone turned on a powerful searchlight from the tower to focus on it, yet the reflected light seemed muted somehow. Nothing held it up as far as she could see, nor did anything keep it in place on the faintly swaying ground.

The small horde of Marines were setting up positions anywhere there was cover, many of them busy putting together machine guns. Every single gun in sight was trained on the silver orb, the troops keeping at least a fifty foot buffer between it and everything else. On a hunch Koko glanced down the flight deck, seeing an F18 that was ready for takeoff being hurriedly dragged back by its frantic crew to the flight elevator. Another jet was in the process of being lowered as she watched.

"The hell?" Scarecrow mumbled, his words drowned out by the noise. Within seconds a Blackhawk roared into view, bristling with guns. The searchlight on it's nose lit up, unnecessarily bathing the thing in even more light.

"I have no idea. I think we should leave though, we're not-GAH!" Koko suddenly shrieked, her legs giving out from under her.

"Koko!" R dove to catch her, and with the Marine's help they grabbed the gasping woman before she hit the deck. The italian held her, keeping her upright and not tumbling over.

"What happened?" he snapped.

"I-I don't know, it's like my arm just got tasered..." she trailed off, her eyes shifting to muted shock as she looked at her arm. The sensations crawling up from the limb, from her elbow to her fingers, were uncomfortably familiar.

"Problem?" the Marine rapped out.

"I...think-"

* ** _BOOM_** *

The sound reverberated out, sweeping through the entire area and briefly overshadowing everything else. Koko flung her head up, sensations she experienced only once before coming back to her.

She didn't just hear the sound, she FELT it. Felt it pulse through the same arm that once entered the black orb. Slowly she looked back to the silver orb, everyone around her following suit a moment later.

The surface of the orb rippled, then began to retract. There was no sliding of plates, no hiss of machinery. It just slid back, akin to liquid. Underneath the silver was the unmistakable image of the black orb, only larger. The Marine carefully left her alone to stand up, bringing his rifle around to train the sights onto the impossible sight just a hundred feet away.

It pulled back enough to expose a man sized opening, giving it an unsettling similarity to an eye. Then, something stepped out.

Koko could've been twice as far away and she still would picked out every detail of the being. Thick boots showing thin legs came first, revealing a pair of hit pants and the edge of a long coat. After that came the torso, the coat being akin to a cowl, complete with a small hood. Underneath was a painfully thin, not quite anorexic female chest covered by a bikini top. Last came the head, two long pigtails (one longer than the other) proceeded a pretty yet expressionless face.

It was all achingly familiar, but wrong. Whereas her clothes were black with white highlights, this one was inverted with the colors. White boots, white pants with a black belt, a black trimmed white coat, and hair the same color as Koko's. Her skin was a mocha brown, perhaps heavily tanned. The longer pigtail was on the opposite side where it should have been. She looked just like Rock, but inverted.

The look on her features was one of bored contempt as she beheld the small army around her.

"I am White Rock Shooter. Lower your weapons and bring me your leader."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Or maybe not.**_


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: You guys are cool, you know that? All y'all are awesome.**

* * *

 **White Rock Shooter theme: Grievance - Audiomachine.**

"I am White Rock Shooter. Lower your weapons and bring me your leader."

To say the humans were confused wasn't doing it justice. The shocking arrival coupled with the flat pronouncement left most of them scratching their heads, figuratively for the Marines. If anything, the men and women's grips on their various weapons tightened. Not one of the troops wanted to be the one who took their eyes off the target when she did something. Given her method of arrival, none of them doubted that it was going to be big.

On their part, the odd gathering of CIA, guards, and prisoner regarded the new arrival with befuddlement. Predictably, three of the men swiveled their attention to the woman, who did not appreciate the attention.

"White Rock Shooter?" Scarecrow said disbelievingly, clutching his 357. like his life depended on it. Upon reflection, it very well might have.

"What makes you think I know anything?" Koko snapped at him, forcing herself to take her eyes off the sight. R stared in her place, whether he wanted to or not.

"With respect ma'am-" the Marine that was holding onto her started to say, but when she turned her furious gaze his way he backed down awkwardly.

"No, I have no goddamn idea who she is or what she wants" she said irritably, ahead of Bookman's questions.

The being continued to survey the humans, her expression of bored contempt never shifting. One of the Marines finally stood up, lowering her rifle.

"I'm Lieutenant Tanner, I'm in charge of these men" the female officer called out, a southern twang accenting her words. White Rock Shooter turned her attention to the woman, who stood firm under the gaze.

"Lower your weapons" she commanded with a voice that was calm and concise, yet the malice behind it was obvious. The unfortunate officer gulped.

"Ma'am, we are unsure of your intentions at this time. These weapons are for our protection" Tanner said carefully.

Rather then answer White Rock Shooter reached behind her, grabbing something off her belt. If it was possible the men tensed up further, not relaxing at all when the object she produced appeared to be a solid white, faintly reflective greave. It looked ceramic or possibly plastic, but without going up to her and touching it themselves no one could tell for sure. Her red eyes were taken off the Marines for just a moment, long enough to put it on her wrist before turning back to them.

She raised the greave covered hand to them and uttered a single word.

" _Kneel_."

Her hand clenched together. Every one of the troops dropped instantly, screams of pain sounding out before they fell. Even from twice the distance from her than the Marines, Koko stumbled. To her complete amazement, in a couple of seconds it felt like she was now twice as heavy as normal. Scarecrow barely managed to stay upright, R and the two guards having only a slightly easier time of it. Bookman was forced to his knees with a pained grunt, one of the now struggling guards going to help him.

Koko couldn't look away from the sight, barely able to believe her eyes. The Marines struggled under the unseen force, all but a few groaning in pain. Whatever power they were under was several times worse than what she was experiencing. A few gunshots rang out, scattered and missing entirely. The Blackhawk tilted to back away, putting some distance between whatever was happening. Below them the metal superstructure of the _George Washington_ groaned from the event.

White Rock Shooter kept up the pressure for several more seconds, unaffected by what she was inflicting upon them. Her fist relaxed, and whatever force she was causing cut out. Koko almost stumbled again, this time from imbalance. The others fared better, R giving her a steadying hand despite his own shock. Thankfully the cries from the Marines ended, replaced by pained groans as the men feebly struggled.

"Good. Now bring me your leader. As a sign of trust, I will deal with the infestation in that city" her maddeningly calm voice spoke.

The black orb behind her rippled, producing a silver sphere a meter in diameter at floated out to beside her. Her flat gaze moved to it, showing nothing in the way of emotion. The sphere shuddered, and a small portion of it slid away, akin to a drop of water. It tried to pull back the liquid like material at the same time it tried to push it away, continuing until the extending part broke away. While the rest of the sphere settled back into a metallic reflective surface, the drop spun until it went still, leaving a tiny copy a couple of centimeters wide.

White Rock Shooter's gaze fell onto the drop, when she turned her head it moved at the same pace to stay within her sight. Her gauntleted arm raised once more, and she flung it out in the direction of Roanapur. A flicker and it was gone, too small and too fast to track.

Meanwhile the Blackhawk took position again, evidently preparing to fire on the white clad girl. She paid it no mind, turning away to the direction of the conn tower. Away from the city.

 _Get down._

Koko wasn't sure where it came from, but she suddenly had the urge to shout "Get down! Cover your eyes!" to her small party. She ducked down and wrapped her arms around her head, hoping that the action made them look away from the city. She had no idea why, but in that second she knew she had to cover her head.

It was enough for most of them, R, Bookman, Scarecrow, and one of the Marines took their eyes off White Rock Shooter. Only one kept his attention on her. He would regret it for the rest of his days.

A flash; and for seventeen seconds the night sky was banished. The entire horizon was lit up, taking away the stars. Everything was visible, from the coastline around the city to the other ships in the fleet. A few things standing in the unearthly light, such as the Blackhawk or the still standing girl, casted long shadows that stretched out a great distance. Instead of distracting from the bright light, they served to make it seem so much greater.

Sight was overwhelmed, hearing followed suit.

There was a sound not unlike a deep gong, distant and impossibly loud. It grew into a roar, as if they were standing by a passing train. Koko adjusted her arms so to clamp her hands over her ears, every lesson she was taught and had learned over the years to deal with nearby explosions coming up in fine detail. Even with her palms in the way, it was louder than anything she could remember. It felt as if her skull was being split open, doing anything else was impossible.

Hearing was swamped, touch was to suffer next.

The warm night became hot, sweat was dripping off the woman within seconds. A soft breeze formerly provided some relief, but now it brought only more of the terrible heat. It picked up, becoming a gale that grew by the second. Koko's hair was whipped backwards, the hellish wind powerful enough to push her away. If she wasn't hugging the deck it was possible she would've been sent flying. For a delirious second she thought there was a jet engine in front of her. That was the only sane possibility to explain what was happening now.

A new edge joined the chaos, a horrible screeching sound that transformed into a fresh explosion. It would've been bad on its own if Hell wasn't being unleashed at the moment. Clinically she assumed it was the helicopter crashing against the ship.

Some time passed; it could've been minutes or hours, she couldn't tell. But the light and the wind began to decrease. When she opened her eyes she saw that, although it was still bright, it was no longer blinding. The wind slowed, the noise tapering off with it. Another minute later (at least she thought it was a minute) and Koko finally lifted her head from her arms. She looked up, and what little breath she had was stolen away.

Roanapur was gone. The skyline that she had once despised was invisible, shrouded by the rolling clouds of evil red dust that spread further even as she watched, swapping the entirety of the basin that formed the city. The glowing cloud, it must have been thousands of degrees still, flowed like water over the rim to the outside. Powerful waves rolled out to the ocean, making even the massive _George Washington_ rock back and forth. In the center of what was the criminal capital of Southeast Asia twelve hours ago stood something that she hoped she would never see with her own eyes: a cloud tower miles high and growing, brighter than the rest of the former city. It glowed with red light, flashing with sparks of lightning. Bright enough to show the horrifying shape of a traditional mushroom cloud.

Koko finally became aware of someone screaming. She feared that it was her, but after a few seconds she discovered with guilty relief that it wasn't. It took all of her will to tear her wide eyes away from the result of a detonation, glancing over to see who it was. It turned out to be her Marine guard, writhing on his back and clutching his head, screaming. When his hands parted enough for her to see, she saw a burned face with charred flesh where his eyes were.

Numbly she looked back to the sight, despite her feverish wishing otherwise the glowing mushroom cloud was still there. The fallen horde of what was America's finest troops, reduced to whimpering cripples, were largely still now. She hoped they were still alive and just unconscious, but if the man right by her suffered like that then they stood little chance. And she of all people knew the risks of radioactive fallout.

In the center of the half ring, unfazed by what she had just casually unleashed, stood White Rock Shooter.

Her bored gaze swept over the few moaning men remaining before she started to walk away. The sphere she summoned obediently floated after her, while its larger sibling closed back over the black portal and coming to a rest where it was. Her pace was sedate, as if she was in no hurry. Koko wondered if that was the case. When she reached the prone Marines she merely stepped around them, ignoring a wracking cough of pain from one.

Then it dawned on her that the girl was coming her way, her course wasn't facing anything else. R and the Marine both picked up, the latter bringing his rifle up to train the sights on her. The former dashed over to snatch the M4 from the fallen man, pausing to check his neck first (inwardly relieved at finding a pulse) before grabbing the weapon. The first Marine sent a glare his way, but he didn't protest. Scarecrow raised his revolver, errantly urging for Bookman to step back.

She stopped a few feet away, her cold gaze on Koko and not at the three armed humans. Her uncovered hand raised to point a finger at her.

"You will come with me" White Rock Shooter stated.

"Like hell" Koko spat. At once she felt lighter, her stomach fluttering uncomfortably. For a fleeting second she thought that she was in free fall; internally it clicked.

 _She can manipulate gravity_ , she thought amazingly. While it was standard in science fiction, she never thought it was actually possible. More than a dozen practical applications for such power flitted through her mind before the obvious question of 'how' occurred to her.

Then Koko was reminded of the danger she was in, coming back to the present. White Rock Shooter apparently had fine control over the power, effortlessly putting the pale woman onto her unsteady feet before cutting it out.

"You will do as I command" she ordered flatly.

"Why?" she gasped.

"So the others will cooperate" she answered.

A gunshot boomed, painfully loud in its proximity. What happened next occurred seemingly at the same time, too fast for any of them to tell where one ended and the other began.

Something flared a foot from her, a white toned flash of light in a curved bubble around her. While Koko's ears were ringing she watched the ripple of electric power circle the girl, in a second showing a faint outline of something that encompassed her entirely in a bubble before fading out of existence. White Rock Shooter didn't flinch. Her pigtailed head, too similar to Rock's, lazily turned to the side.

A thin line of smoke wafted from the barrel of the trembling revolver, the end of a dangerous tool to most people pointed at her. Scarecrow stared incredulously at the girl, unable to process what he just witnessed. For a few seconds four pairs of shocked eyes were locked on him as well. The only one that mattered was the one set of red ones. A flash that could've been emotion crossed her eyes, one that humans called annoyance. But it might've been a trick of the light.

"W-w-wha, w-what the f-fuck?" Scarecrow stuttered in shock.

"What have you done?" Bookman murmured fearfully.

White Rock Shooter said nothing. The silver sphere beside her made a statement well enough. It moved a few inches away, getting a clear line of sight on the scared man. A tiny pinpoint of light appeared on its surface, so small it could've been mistaken for a reflection at first. It glowed brighter, moving across until it was lined up with him. Scarecrow could only stare in a mixture of shock and amazement, unable to react. He never found out that his fate was sealed the moment he fired at her.

Koko blinked, clutching her hands to her eyes with a cry. Her vision was blanked out again, slivers of pain racing from her sore eyeballs. She feared that there was another detonation, but after several seconds of nothing but the pain of her vision clearing she safely discounted that possibility. When she felt well enough to open her eyes again, she blinked away spots.

Bookman was regaining his balance, R was rubbing his eyes and groaning, and the lone guard had his weapon trained on the girl, looking unharmed (blocking his own eyes first perhaps). The end of the rifle was flickering, from his hands trembling. A French official that Koko once had the displeasure of sharing a meal with once said "American Marines are so brave because they are too stupid to feel fear." Yet the one in front of her was proving that line wrong. He was deathly afraid, using all of his willpower to stay in place, not blasting the girl or running. She found out why when she looked in the direction where the man was.

No sign of Scarecrow was there. Nothing but a large spot of carbon scoring on the deck, starting roughly where the CIA was a few seconds ago.

"Your leader. Now" White Rock Shooter directed that to Bookman, her expression unchanged.

Another gunshot boomed, this one louder than the large pistol round. Again the barrier flared, the hot lead disintegrating without causing any damage. Unperturbed, White Rock Shooter turned her head the other direction to find one of the armed humans training the M4 on her.

"What are you doing?" Koko questioned hoarsely.

"My job" went R's laconic reply.

"Humans" the girl muttered. The silver sphere began to glow once again. The Italian and spy showed no fear in the face of imminent death.

Koko decided that second to do something counterproductive to her usual goals. She threw herself in the path of the two, holding her cuffed hands out with both of her hands flat. She didn't see R's shock, but could picture it easily enough.

"Wait! I'll cooperate, just don't" she pleaded, feeling the bile in her throat at the sound of her own voice.

White Rock Shooter stared impassively at her for several seconds, doing nothing. She huffed, but the terrible light on the surface dimmed out of existence. Only then did Koko notice her hands were shaking.

"Very well" she said simply. Her gaze went back to Bookman, who visibly gulped.

"I'll take you to my leader" he said, flickering his eyes to the Marine "Corporal, call it in."

The Marine gulped, taking a shaking hand off the rifle to go for his radio. From the same entrance Koko's tiny party came from just a short while ago the door flew open again. This time a number of medical personnel with troops mixed in began to pour out, getting only a short distance before stopping at the sight. Those with guns snapped them up.

"Corporal" Bookman warned, the young man hurriedly speaking into his radio.

The ship wide intercom crackled to life "This is Admiral Swift. All forces, stand down at once. Repeat, stand down" the commander's voice boomed.

The half dozen men in the vicinity sent a worried look at the tower, but after a few seconds they complied. Koko and Bookman sighed in relief at the same time.

"Alright, follow me" the latter said carefully, taking a few hesitant steps away. White Rock Shooter began to walk at his pace, sending a brief glance at Koko first. With a frown she followed after the girl, but a few paces later she felt a hand grab her shoulder. A scowl came on as she looked over to the Marine.

"You really think this is necessary at this point?" Koko snapped. The man reluctantly let go, giving R a glare as he trotted passed him. As a courtesy he set his borrowed gun down first, glancing at the blinded man sympathetically first before jogging after them.

With Bookman (now sweating) leading the now reduced party got far more than it's share of odd looks, made much worse when they got back inside the ship. White Rock Shooter ignored the multitudes of crew that got one look at the bizarre individual and decided they were urgently needed elsewhere. The ones with weapons kept on their guard in her presence.

One bit of good fortune that came from this was that no one looked too closely at the pale woman or the Italian bodyguard that trailed after them. As discretely as possible R grabbed Koko's hands to pull them to the side, doing something to them. A few seconds later something clicked, and the hard metal encircling her wrists fell away. She briefly rubbed the chaffed skin before looking at R questionably, noting that he took the cuffs to leave them on a random outcropping on the wall.

"Qualifies for a raise?" he whispered with a grin. Koko felt one of her own before lightly punching him.

The crew of the _George Washington_ parted in front of them, no one wanted to get too close to the thing that was following the portly chief. Despite that Bookman was able to find the bridge easily enough, within a few minutes they were approaching the guarded entrance. The two Marines in the way immediately went for their weapons, defying their orders and the man's frantic attempts to get them to move.

The answer to the problem was as simple as it was quick, taking the form of a girl with brown skin and white clothes. She passed by a now deathly pale Bookman to look upon the two guards, both of them pointing pistols at her. White Rock Shooter waved a hand at them, and both men crumpled against opposite sides of the hallway, struggling for a second then going still. The chief hoped they were just unconscious, but after witnessing her earlier actions he wasn't going to be surprised if they were dead.

Floating beside her the sphere became brighter for a moment, and the handle on the door glowed red. It caught on fire, breaking apart as embers of burning metal fell away. It was simple for her to then walk up to the door to lightly push it open.

"Finally" White Rock Shooter murmured, stepping through the entrance. Bookman sighed and followed her, hearing shouts erupting from inside. He stopped to give his prisoner (amended to former when he noticed her free hands) a short wave to enter as well.

R looked to Koko for guidance, as he was wont to do in situations where she wasn't in immediate danger. She sighed and nodded to the door.

The shouting went from loud noise to distinct speech when she passed through the entrance (keeping a buffer between the hot metal and herself). Even if she wasn't able to herself understand the language, the tone of the voices made their dispositions clear.

"Who the hell are you!?" snarled a voice Koko recognized well before she got a good look inside.

The bridge was a scene of barely controlled chaos. More than two dozen officers were either hunched over something, a terminal or a map, or running to and fro. Neither group was exclusive, and almost all of them were close to yelling into headsets. All the while a few Marines were busy trying to keep some order or grabbing bigger weapons. It occurred to Koko that she was seeing the nerve center of perhaps the greatest power in the region.

At least it was the greatest; White Rock Shooter approached the center map easily, staring down Vice Admiral Swift. To his credit he stood at attention with his arms behind his back, showing no hint of fear.

"You are the leader" she said without preamble.

"I am Vice Admiral Swift, I demand to know who you are" he snapped out. It occurred to those in the command center that there was a young girl in there with them; they gave only a brief look before going back to their tasks.

"I am White Rock Shooter. As you should be aware of, I am the one who dealt with the infestation in that city" she stated flatly.

"By deal with you mean you detonated a forty kiloton nuclear device?" Swift said angrily.

"Yes" she agreed.

He blinked, not anticipating such a reply. An unlucky aide rushed to his side with a bulky tablet in hand, suddenly nervous for obvious reasons.

"Sir" he half squeaked. Swift turned his head with a fierce scowl, one that even Koko found bad.

"What."

"The last of the survey teams have reported in. Radiological levels are minimal. No radioactive fallout as far as they can tell" he reported, keeping a stutter out of his tone by some miracle. His hard frown narrowed further.

"That's impossible. A nuclear weapon is the only thing that could create a blast of that size. There's no way that this entire region hasn't been irradiated" he rebuked.

"Your understanding of the universe is at best elementary" interrupted White Rock Shooter. Swift turned his hard gaze back to her, his aide taking the chance to make himself scarce.

"Excuse me?" he said coldly.

"I believe your people call it Antimatter. When it interacts with the matter of your universe they annihilate each other. Much simpler and cleaner than your crude metal bombs" she loftily explained, gaining the air of a teacher lecturing a child.

"Why are you here" Swift demanded icily.

"I am here because despite my objections otherwise my superiors have ordered me to intervene personally. The first of my objectives has been achieved, but for the second one I am forced to request assistance from you to complete" White Rock Shooter explained, though her voice was flat the humans could sense the distaste in her tone.

"Give me one reason why I should help you at all" Swift stated angrily. Another aide came up to him beginning to say "The Thais-" but he cut him off with a gesture.

"Your assistance is useful. Not required" went her laconic reply.

The air in the stuffy room seemed to drop several degrees. Then again, it quite possibly could have. It would be the least incredible thing that happened since the sun set.

"What do you want" Swift said through clenched teeth.

"I want you to find someone for me, since I lack the resources to do it myself. The name she refers herself to is Insane Black Rock Shooter" she said.

Behind her Bookman's eyes bulged, along with Koko's and R's. Swift noticed, and so did White Rock Shooter. She turned around to the three, noticing their sudden evasiveness from her gaze.

"Those three are my top experts on the matter. Before you interrogate them, what do you plan to do with this Insane Rock?" Swift questioned.

"I will deal with her myself. Then I will leave this wretched world behind" she answered, turning fully to stare the trio down. The aide that he waved off went back to Swift to whisper something to him.

"As for you, what do you know?" White Rock Shooter questioned. Koko, R, and Bookman exchanged guarded glances.

Two more people blew through the still open door, one armed with a rifle, one never without a weapon. The latter started to power to the admiral, but once she idly looked aside to the tiny gathering of people she stopped mid step.

Too late to save herself however. White Rock Shooter glanced over, noting the presence of a suddenly paralyzed Black Gold Saw, standing stock still save for a faint quiver in her body. She ignored her previous fixation to level her flat glance at her, raising her greave covered hand at the horned woman.

At the same time time that Koko felt the odd flutters of gravity shifting the computers throughout the room began to flicker, the few personnel that were paying attention to the screens letting out a variety of curses. Black Gold Saw tried to run away at last, but for her 'down' was no longer to the floor. She kicked her legs in a frantic attempt to get away, skidding along the metal bulkhead inexorably to the smaller girl.

Hex pointed her rifle at White Rock Shooter, but two guards grabbed her before she could fire. Black Gold Saw ended up on her knees, sliding along until she was within arms reach of the girl. She continued to struggle, even as her body was forced still before her.

Standing over the horned woman, the sphere beside White Rock Shooter moved so it could face her. Black Gold Saw was nearly hyperventilating as she saw her face in the reflective surface. A triangular pane of green light appeared from its surface, briefly enveloping her entire body for several seconds. It suddenly cut out, and the horned woman collapsed fully, unconscious.

"You're presence here is tolerable. Now" White Rock Shooter turned back to the three. If it wasn't for the guards in the room, two of them would've bolted.

"What did you do to her?" Bookman demanded.

"I scanned her. This is what will happen: I will ask, and you will answer. Is that clear?" she questioned. All three of the humans straightened up, adopting different degrees of wariness.

"Crystal clear" Koko said lowly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Good. You have encountered Insane Black Rock Shooter before?" White Rock Shooter began.

"I've known her as Black Rock Shooter for a while now. I am proud to have known her" Koko stated first.

"As for me, I'm the only other human aboard this ship to face down this Insane form. She tanked everything we and the Thais threw at her without breaking a sweat. I'd ask how you were planning to stop her, but you already vaporized her and everything else in Roanapur" R said bitterly.

To the considerable surprise of them all, White Rock Shooter shook her head.

"No. She is still alive" she replied.

"How? Wait, how do you know that?" Bookman asked confusedly.

"My superiors are able to detect the presence of ones such as her, but without a network of sensors they are unable to pinpoint her location. I have not received a message of a mission completed, therefore she is still alive" she explained.

"Interesting..." Bookman rubbed his chin thoughtfully, implications running through his mind.

"As for you, I can assume the standard form of Black Rock Shooter was well known to you?" White Rock Shooter directed that to Koko, who nodded.

"She worked for me until a few hours ago. I like to think I know her well, good enough to know what to pry into and what to leave alone. Say..." a gleam appeared in her eye, one that R caught a flash of. He knew that special gleam well, it almost always proceeded a crazy scheme that was just nuts enough to work.

"Evidently you do not" White Rock Shooter retorted.

Koko didn't appear to hear the insult, she powered on with "You said your mission is to deal with Insane Rock, right?"

"I said that already, were you listening?" she asked rhetorically, this time there was an obvious hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I was. But according to Gold Saw there" Koko gestured to the unconscious woman, who had been moved out of the way by a sympathetic guard "This form is caused by a severe emotional imbalance, such as overwhelming grief. Is that correct?"

"Yes. I am surprised that this one knows about that though" White Rock Shooter spared a glance at her slumped against the closest wall, with luck she wasn't plotting to free Black Gold Saw from her mortal coil.

"Where are you going with this?" Bookman questioned Koko. He felt an uncomfortable tingle crawl up his spine at the sight of a smirk on her features.

"She also shared that this state is temporary. Hypothetically, if Insane Rock were to go back to normal, what would you do?" Koko questioned slyly.

White Rock Shooter frowned, either at the human's thinking or her unexpected defiance. R had the suspicion that the girl wasn't as far removed from everything as she assumed she was.

"My mission is to deal with Insane Black Rock Shooter. If she were to revert to normal on her own accord, then the conditions for success would be met" she said, sounding surprised at herself.

"Just what I wanted to hear. Now before you say anything" Koko fearlessly interrupted the girl that wiped out a city fifteen minutes ago "I believe it can be done. I have just the tool to do it, but he's unconscious right now. Mister Black?" she turned to the CIA chief. White Rock Shooter's gaze turned to him as well.

"You possess a means to stabilize her?" she questioned, flat yet definitely interested.

* * *

"What part of critical condition do none of you understand!?" the same doctor that revealed the happiest news Koko heard all day protested angrily.

She leveled a flat look at him and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. R cracked his knuckles to help Koko get her point across.

The doctor muttered a curse, but one look at a shrugging Marine with a rifle that was shanghaied into the crazy scheme by a distracted admiral made him leave the partitioned area, looking sourly at the plump man in a suit and the pretty woman that had a threatening vibe about her. The brown skinned girl with the white ensemble caused him to involuntarily shudder; he was glad that she apparently ignored him.

"Here he is" Koko invited White Rock Shooter in.

The girl brushed passed R, her sleeve brushing aside his arm but otherwise ignoring him. Bookman and a very sullen Hex were polite enough to stay by the foot of the bed to watch over the event (or whatever was about to happen anyway) while Koko and R went to opposite sides. White Rock Shooter went behind Koko, her red eyes drinking in his appearance. Idly the pale woman wondered if the boy's uncanny effect on the opposite sex would affect her as well.

Koko took a second to examine him. He looked just as he did earlier, but she was able to see a bit more color in him than earlier. She put that down to having a clearer head this time.

"This?" White Rock Shooter expressed amazement, disbelief, and scorn in one succinct word.

"Jonah Mar. My leading bet is that Rock has feelings for him, so when she saw him get shot it made her lose it" Koko outlined. The girl let out an undignified snort.

"Humans and your emotions. Petty fools" she muttered.

"You do realize he's unconscious?" Hex said dryly.

"Duh. But allow the primitive human some leeway when she assumes the girl with the magic powers has some sort of healing device built into that glove" Koko was grinning when she gestured to the white greave she wore.

White Rock Shooter glanced her way with a genuine scowl; in spite of the ego she happily carried the girl wasn't nearly as far above the humans as she thought she was. More importantly, she didn't disagree.

"Why am I doing this?" she muttered to herself.

Without further ado she stood over the unconscious boy and lifted her hand. White light sprouted from it, a thin pane that started over his head and proceeded to move downwards. She pursed her lips.

"So, is it working?" R asked hopefully.

"I am not healing him yet. I want to scan him first, see if there's any specific characteristic that would prompt Black Rock Shooter to form an emotional attachment with him" she answered.

Once the light reached his toes it moved back up, repeating the procedure. The frown on her features deepened, information reaching her that only she could see.

"Lets see. Signs of malnutrition. Signs of physical abuse. Scars and injuries are abundant. Current wound damaging but non-lethal. Intelligence, within human baseline. Physical status, slightly above human baseline. Age, adolescent. Condition is at present stable. In simple terms, an average human. Nothing about him is particularly-"

The light paused over his torso. The four humans glanced at her, all quietly wondering in their own way why she had just fallen silent.

"Particularly...?" R prompted. Herr frown faded into puzzlement of all things.

"That can't be right. Rescan" White Rock Shooter ordered, apparently to herself. Moving again, the pane of light moved back to his head.

Less than a minute later it stopped once more at an arbitrary point.

"What's wrong?" Bookman asked.

"Rescan fully, omega depth" she said to herself. Just a few seconds later the light cut out, and her red eyes widened.

White Rock Shooter was, for lack of a better term, shocked.

"That's not possible" she murmured.

"What is?" Koko questioned. Her white haired head swiveled to the pale woman, her gaze hardening.

"How did they meet?" she demanded. Koko looked up to R, the only witness on hand to the event that started it all. When the girl turned to him, he coughed nervously.

"Well, um, I don't know the specifics. While we were at the hotel Jonah went into the bathroom, maybe thirty seconds later we haerd a small boom. When Lehm looked inside, he found a black ball in there. A lot like what you showed up in. Few minutes later he popped out, and the girl was right on his heels" R explained.

Her wide eyes went down to the boy, looking incredulously.

"He went to the other side" she whispered.

"Well, yeah. I stuck my arm in there too" Koko admitted, regretting it when White Rock Shooter snapped her head at her. When she raised her hand Koko feared the worst, but then the same light that covered Jonah came on, a curious tingle accompanying it. When she lowered the hand her brow furrowed.

"But, no, it shouldn't. His body should've shut down within seconds, the physical laws are different enough...unless...wait here" White Rock Shooter rolled her head back and closed her eyes.

For a nervous minute she said and did nothing. When she snapped her eyes open again she glared, fortunately at no one in particular.

"This changes things. My parameters have been altered. I will assist you, but if you fail I will step in" White Rock Shooter told them.

She raised her hand again over the boy. Greenish light came out from her palm, washing over the boy. For several seconds nothing happened.

Suddenly Jonah gasped, his entire body convulsing. The light cut out, White Rock Shooter backing away from him in shock. Minutes earlier he was still, only the slight rise and fall of his chest showing any life at all. Now he shook, his torso struggling.

 **Jonah's theme: Fight - All Good Things**

Before their eyes, Jonah rose up from the bed with a gasp. He shuddered with his breathing, pushing up with his arms. Once he was sitting up he sputtered out a breath, one hand clutching his chest while the other supported him.

"Damn, that was fast" Hex mumbled with wide eyes.

"I just started" White Rock Shooter murmured fearfully. His breathing slowed, relaxing slightly. Koko could hardly believe her eyes, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine something like this.

Still heaving, Jonah opened his eyes to slowly scan the room and the occupants around him.

"Jonah" Koko whispered. The boy that should have been dead swiveled his head around to her, showing emotion at last.

"Koko?" he said weakly.

She couldn't stop herself from throwing herself at him, catching him in a powerful hug. Only a last second thought made her apply any sort of restraint.

"What happened?" Jonah murmured softly.

"A lot, I'll fill you in later" she mumbled into his ear. Koko forced herself to let go, promising to cuddle him for hours later.

"Jonah, I realize that you're in rough shape, but we need you" R butted in.

The boy rubbed his eyes, looking over the room once again. This time he noticed White Rock Shooter, backed away a few feet looking ready to run at the first sign.

"Rock?" he asked confusedly.

The white clad girl visibly gulped.

"I am White Rock Shooter. Remain still" she said, strain showing in her tone.

"That's not our Rock, she's something else. Listen, Rock's in danger" Koko interrupted.

Jonah's eyes went wide, and he tried to get out of the bed. Only Koko's hold kept him down, internally marveling at the strength he was freely displaying.

"Easy, easy. You're the best chance we have to help her, are you up for it?" she asked nervously, backing away to see him once he calmed some.

He set his expression, hard determination coming into focus.

"What are we waiting for?"

* * *

 **A/N: Edited as of 11/17/16. Still a tad sloppy but it's better. Right?**


	17. Chapter 16

Despite herself, Koko had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Jonah, specifically his torso. Not so much at the thick muscles that coated his currently bare chest (fortunately for everyone the doctors had only cut apart his shirt, making getting dressed as simple as sending the lone guard to fetch his belongings), but at the display that happened to be taking place in front of her. One that she was certain no living human had witnessed before.

White Rock Shooter kept her greave covered hand up with her palm held flat, a hazy cloud of murky green light coming from it to flow out. Jonah, sitting upright at the side of the bed with his legs dangling over stayed as still as possible at her insistence. The wound in the center of his torso was knitting together as she watched, the torn flesh putting itself back together. The process wasn't perfect; every few seconds a part his his expression would twitch in pain. For healing the catastrophic damage, it was an acceptable problem.

There would still be a scar, and according to the brown skinned girl if there were any fragments from the bullet they would stay right where they were. But the damage would be undone. Damage that, again to White Rock Shooter's testimony (her tone somewhere between amazement and fearful) should have killed him. Koko didn't care though, she was too relieved at Jonah being alive and back to give too much thought to it.

Her attitude was not shared by everyone in the tiny partitioned room.

"How exactly did he survive?" Hex questioned with annoyance. Bookman and R, both silent like Koko was, looked over to her with confusion.

"I can't be certain without a detailed scan, I don't have the equipment with me at present to perform one. But as a basic conjecture, it's possible the properties of that anomalous realm have affected his physical makeup" White Rock Shooter explained distantly, keeping the hard frown she'd possessed for the past five minutes focused on her task.

"Meaning?" Hex prompted. The girl growled.

"How simplistic must I make this? He has changed from being in the place you called Otherworld. Perhaps to the point where he has gained some of it's inhabitants' abilities" she enunciated with annoyance. R frowned.

"Hold on, Jonah is part Otherworlder now?" he asked in surprise.

"I didn't say that you imbecile. I said, he may have gained some of the abilities of being one of those creatures. If nothing else, it accelerated his cellular regeneration. You should've noticed some changes by now" she snapped.

"Such as?" Bookman asked.

"Improved senses, increased reflexes, faster recovery time, things like that. Or are you humans so ignorant you never noticed?" White Rock Shooter said contemptuously.

"What about Koko?" R probed, noting the pale woman looking his way.

"Her exposure was brief. If there are any benefits you won't be seeing them" she answered in annoyance.

"Question" Jonah said. Her eyes met his, alike yet distinctly different.

"What" she said coldly.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked, devoid of emotion. Her eyes narrowed.

"My mission on this filthy planet is to deal with Insane Black Rock Shooter. The resources to do this are limited, since my superiors wish to limit their intervention. If you are what they claim to be, then assisting you would be the most expedient course of action" White Rock Shooter explained tightly.

"You blasted Roanapur out of existence, I hardly think that's limited intervention" Hex countered.

"Given how barbarous you humans are, I would call that an improvement. Besides, I wasn't going to trust you barely sentient primates to deal with the infestation there" she shot back.

"One more question" Koko spoke up at last.

The green light from White Rock Shooter's hand cut out, and she lowered her hand at last. Jonah promptly got off the bed, taking a moment to check himself over before grabbing a spare shirt that had 'US NAVY' written in bold print to put on. Like the rest of his outfit, it was courtesy of the guard. Not his preferred choice of a plain polo, but given that his shirt had a ragged hole punched through it before being cut apart to save his life, he wasn't going make an issue of it.

"Do I look like a teacher?" White Rock Shooter said coldly to her. Koko looked on, unfazed.

"One question" she repeated. The girl growled once more.

"Very well. Speak" she reluctantly invited.

"Why now? Rock's been here for months now, Dead Master nearly as long. Mister Black there says there's dozens of others all over the world, and that's not going into what my brother the bastard pulled off here. Why are you just stepping in here?" Koko questioned.

White Rock Shooter kept her eyes on her for several seconds, not speaking.

"I obey my superiors. Until now, they judged that your species did not need intervention. For reasons I will never understand, they're rather enamored by your race. But this is different. Insane Black Rock Shooter is an order of magnitude more dangerous than the common threats to you, discounting the problems that you inflict upon yourselves" she explained.

"You think she's that dangerous?" Koko couldn't help feeling a little surprised at the admission.

"Yes. I would enjoy leaving her be so she could cull your species, but that is not my decision" White Rock Shooter shook her head in apparent disappointment.

"That's assuming we won't kill her first" Hex said, matching Koko's and Jonah's scowl with her own.

"Unless you deploy your most powerful weapons you cannot kill Insane Black Rock Shooter. I would not be here otherwise" she retorted.

Bookman stepped in, holding up both of his flattened hands at the two parties. He dearly hoped that the three killer women in the all too small room wouldn't make an example of him.

"Let's calm down" he quietly urged.

Hex snorted. She turned to go outside for some fresh air away from her hated foe and her apparently mad boss, almost bumping into a naval officer that was just about to enter.

"Um, ma'am?" the officer, a nervous looking lieutenant, said carefully. Hex stared at him uncomfortably before rolling her eyes and turning right around to wave him in. She noted the presence of two stern men she happily called jarheads in her army days standing by with arms behind them, unarmed save for holstered pistols.

The five people in the room had nothing in common except a cold gaze, which they turned on the now sweating officer. He cleared his throat and spoke, doing his upmost to keep a stutter out of his voice.

"Ma'am, Admiral Swift requested that you come with me to the bridge" he said with exceptional care to White Rock Shooter. He didn't see Roanapur's destruction with his own eyes, but the cooling mushroom cloud as the aftermath was reason alone for him to be cautious, never mind the fifty crippled Marines that were wheeled into the infirmary.

"Very well. These two will accompany me" the young girl, appearing no older than a teenager to virtually everyone, gestured to the boy and the bespectacled man. Koko and R snapped their hostile gazes to her, while Bookman gave her a questioning look. Jonah looked unbothered.

"Ma'am, my orders were-"

"They will accompany me" she repeated. The lights above them flickered; the lieutenant hoped it was a coincidence, the alternative was too frightening to contemplate. He gulped and nodded.

"V-very well. If you'll follow me" he held a slightly shaking hand out to the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the brunette rolling her eyes.

White Rock Shooter cooperated with him, and the two males cooperated with her. With the present circumstances it was the most pragmatic decision, if far from the bravest. Koko was off after the tiny group before any of them could stop her, a jogging R catching up easily to ward away the Marine guards from doing their jobs. Hex wasn't about to let the woman she hated go so easily, and being out of the loop made her upset.

Koko wondered if the US Navy had a program for creating psychics; for a ship the size of the _George Washington_ there were very few crew between the infirmary and the bridge. She also considered that either Bookman or White Rock Shooter had a secret ability to create powerful feelings of dread just by being in the vicinity. With all that had happened to her since the sun set she was prepared to give any possibility due thought.

Two repairmen were trying to fix the door when the nine people in a rough line (briefly R looked around for the missing guard that escorted them back to the infirmary, wondering if he decided that the job was too dangerous). One look at them made the two men abandon their task and clear the way. The only one to give them any sort of sympathy was the unlucky lieutenant leading the procession, none of the others gave them another glance. Without a word the two guards took up opposite sides of the door after White Rock Shooter passed them, the faintest of shivers crawling through them.

Trailing in after her, Koko was certain the level of pandemonium inside was lower than earlier. It was hard to tell for sure though, for all she knew the scene of barely controlled chaos that constituted the bridge was normal. Her instincts were telling her that it was calmer now though; a city was turned into a sheet of fused glass in front of their eyes by a strange girl with bad taste in fashion earlier, it had to be better now.

Admiral Swift was already there waiting for White Rock Shooter, watching with two armed guards in front of a large glowing table. He raised one eyebrow at the tiny crowd that accompanied her (giving Koko especially a weighted look) before refocusing on the girl. The American commander affixed the hardest expression of calm that he could manage, giving a tiny nod to her. She in turn returned a perfunctory tip of her head.

Koko noticed someone else, a young woman with horns discreetly staying away from the admiral behind several officers. She would've had more luck staying out of sight if they didn't keep looking at her.

"Ma'am, I have good news. I can state with reasonable confidence that we have located Insane Rock" he announced. While every one of the humans picked up in surprise, the girl merely nodded.

He gestured for her to come closer, both of his bodyguards backing away. As she approached the table, the screen surface lit up with blue light. In a few seconds there was a top down view of the entire region.

"An hour ago one of the Thai army battalions that was managing the flow of refugees came under attack by a hostile they called a Witch, here" he put a finger on the surface, zooming in to a map of the area. His finger was well outside a large uneven circle of red covered the entirety of the marked urban zone.

"The thing tore through three platoons on it's way heading north, following the coast. They reported over fifty confirmed KIA, double the number of wounded. Due to the chaos caused by your...solution...to the attack, as well as the normal issues of command level communications, we just received word of this several minutes ago" Swift explained.

"Excellent" she answered dryly. A flash of irritation went over the Admiral, the complete lack of respect he was receiving was starting to get to him.

"They have put all available assets at our disposal to track her, we've been doing our best to coordinate with them. Fortunately they've put a standing order to not engage the target, so there hasn't been any additional reported casualties. They're just as interested in stopping Insane Rock as we are. We believe she is here" he finished, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Good. I have discovered another option available to me, one that may prove much more useful than my original strategy" White Rock Shooter turned her head to the side, putting her flat gaze onto the boy. Swift had recovered since the last encounter with something completely outside of his realm of experience, so the sight of the brown skinned boy (likely no older than fifteen) with white hair and a PR issue shirt beside her was much less of a shock than it would have earlier.

He was still compelled to say "How exactly is he important?" to her, feeling disgust at having to ask her in the first place.

"I will assume she" the girl pointed a single finger at Black Gold Saw, still hiding behind a nervous lieutenant "Informed you of what caused Insane Black Rock Shooter's current state. This human may be the key to reversing it" White Rock Shooter explained.

Swift raised an eyebrow, along with several others who were listening in. Koko could see wheels turning in his head, reaching the same conclusion that she made earlier.

"You're joking" he said dryly after a minute. Evidently he didn't think of it in the same light as she did.

"No. For transportation I can use the same means I used to arrive or you can provide one of your machines. Either way, she must be intercepted as soon as possible" White Rock Shooter said.

"I'll provide you with transportation as soon as the teams radios in" he replied.

Bookman blinked "Teams?"

"After I explained the situation here to the Joint Chiefs, they made the call that this Oscar Whiskey posed too great of a threat to be left alone. To that end, two teams of special forces are being dispatched to intercept Insane Rock" he explained.

R shoved his way to the table by the man, disregarding the two guards reaching for their holsters.

"Have you lost your mind?!" he demanded. An unexpected ally made her way to the station, slamming both of her clawed hands on the table while shock warped her features.

"Get yourself under control before I have you removed" Swift coldly threatened. R backed down a little, though the attitude was spreading to the rest of the eclectic group with him.

"I faced her down myself, those men won't even slow her down" he protested.

"Those men are US Navy SEALs, Alpha platoon squads nine and ten. Both teams are the best of the best" Swift retorted.

"I shot her with a .44 several times as well as most of a Penecheg, she just ignored it" Black Gold Saw spoke up, forgetting her fear of the deceptive appearance that was the brown skinned girl.

"I agree sir, no matter how skilled those soldiers are they can't kill her" Bookman said. Swift raised a hand at all of them, silently but firmly telling them to be quiet.

"Their objective is not to eliminate the target, but to incapacitate her. You claim she is bulletproof? That will just make it easier to use force, so when miss angel of death here gets there she can do whatever she has to do" he explained patronizingly.

"Idiot."

He turned his head, resting his hard gaze onto the speaker.

"Care to repeat that?" he said dangerously. She stepped around the portly chief and her bodyguard, matching his expression with her own.

"You're ignoring the news right in front of you, from people that have more experience with these matters than you. You're sending those men to their deaths" Koko stated, unsmiling.

"Concern for others? Funny, coming from an arms dealer" he snarked.

"I value the lives of those who work for me. Do you?" she retorted

"I value the lives of the tens of millions of people who hate me and my country. Let me give you some trivia, the Thais deployed one hundred and fifty soldiers into that pit of a city to find out what was going on, including a team of their special operations unit. Outfitted with equipment that your corporation sold to their government. Twenty two in total made it out alive before the blast" his eyes narrowed onto the woman.

"You can hold this thing in as high of regard as you want. But that doesn't change what she is, what they all are. They are not human, they are things that seem to be made explicitly to kill. I saw this with that little demonstration that one there did, and nothing I've seen or heard has contradicted that assessment. She is too dangerous to be allowed to live. Now" he waved a hand at the two guards "Get them off my bridge."

Koko was grabbed by one guard, R by two. Both were roughly manhandled away. Jonah started to go after her, but a wall of invisible force kept him in place. He sent an intense glare at the girl, who only slightly shook her head.

"Captain Granger, status of that V-22 from Manila?" Swift turned to question loudly.

"Just landed sir, it's being refueled as we speak. It'll be airborne in twenty mikes" an officer answered.

"Good. Captain Nicks?" he said next.

"The Spooky two you ordered has just left Okinawa, ETA one hour sir" another answered.

"Major Lorne" Swift said next, a large man in green camo coming to attention at the first mention.

"Sir" the man acknowledged.

"Your team is ready?" Swift questioned.

"Sir yes sir, they're standing by. Give the word and we're off sir" he answered in a clipped tone.

"Excellent. Now get these two" he waved a hand at the two children before him "To the Osprey, I want you and your team in the air asap" he ordered, a crisp "Sir" from the major meeting him. Lastly Swift turned to the woman with horns, noting that her own cold look hadn't dissipated.

"Agent Gold Saw, head down to the brig with them. Make sure they don't cause trouble" he commanded.

Black Gold Saw continued to stare for several seconds before tersely nodding. As she turned to walk away, she heard one more tidbit that made up her mind.

"Once that chopper from the _Ford_ arrives I want all of them off my ship" Swift commanded.

* * *

The only resistance Koko put up was her hard glare at the blank faced Marine that firmly guided her, primarily to conserve her strength. She had to cooperate, but her mind was working in overdrive to find a way out. Something, anything that she could use to exploit in her three part quest. First was to get herself and R away from the guard, second was to break the rest of her men out of their holding cells, and third was to get off the ship.

As much as it pained her to admit, Koko had very few options available. Even supposing that she could somehow overpower the three guards in the immediate vicinity, there was the not insignificant detail of Hex trailing after them, armed with a borrowed pistol and a smirk. She knew that the moment she did anything overtly threatening, to say nothing of incapacitating the Marines, that woman would empty the magazine into her. While preferable to the slow torture that she envisioned the brunette would do at the first chance, it would hamper her plans.

That was ignoring a silent Black Gold Saw as well, who stayed behind Hex for the entire walk. Maybe she feared joining Koko in the cells, or she didn't want to deal with her rage. Even though Jonah was fine, she didn't forget what the horned woman had done. The five problems she was with were just the beginning anyway; even after the trick White Rock Shooter pulled there was still hundreds of armed personnel aboard the carrier, and there were more ships filled with reinforcements minutes away.

When they reached the holding area an awaiting guard opened the door, letting them hear the ongoing conversation of the current occupants.

"So just to be clear" Lehm's dry voice drifted out "She was your girlfriend for years and you never knew she could do that."

"For the last time, no, I had no knowledge of this" Dead Master snapped.

There was a rifle armed guard already inside the tiny prison, steadfastly watching over the dangerous group through the metal bars. His face was blank, but Koko could see him sighing tiredly.

"Lehm, please, let it go" Lutz bemoaned.

"Seriously, you've been at it this whole time" Mao added.

Koko hoped what they were talking about wasn't relevant, since whatever form her plan would tame they figured prominently in it. She cleared her throat.

The guard pushed her and R further, until they were in sight of the three occupied cells. Lehm, Lutz, and Valmet were in the first, Mao, Wiley, Ugo, and Tojo were in the second, while Dead Master had a third to herself. At the sound of her throat they all ceased what they were doing, looking out through the bars to her, with gazes that started dryly expectant and quickly morphed into surprised relief.

"You guys alright?" Koko asked.

"We're fine, are you okay?" Valmet pushed her way to the bars to speak, briefly giving the rifle armed guard a suspicious glance.

"Could be better, could be much worse" she shrugged.

"That's good to hear boss" Ugo said relievedly.

"I'm okay too, thanks for asking" R said dryly.

"Oh yeah, good on you. How'd that questioning session go?" Lehm asked easily.

R peeked at Koko, briefly making eye contact with her. One thing had remained constant for all the time he had been working for her: when she didn't want to be read, she wasn't going to be read.

"Didn't break any of my bones, so good I guess?" he halfheartedly jested. Koko snickered, along with Lutz and Tojo. He took that as a good sign.

"If only everything was that simple" Wiley said wistfully, watching the rifle armed guard walk over to unlock an empty cell. Koko took the hint and began to walk.

When Hex spoke, Koko didn't need to look to know that she was smiling. Most likely in the same way she used when she had a metaphorical boot to an unlucky fool's throat.

"Not the way I would prefer, but your terrorist days are done. Hopefully they'll extradite you to a country that still has execution by firi-ohf!"

A wet smack interrupted her mid gloat. Koko had the sense of something barreling at her, milliseconds before something did. Whatever (or whoever she suspected) slammed into her with the force of a runaway car, violently backhanding her aside into the wall. Behind her she heard the same thing happen to the three men by her, though she had no way to distinguish between them. The rifle guard snapped his weapon up, too late to stop a black blur from rushing past Koko to deliver what appeared to be a powerful punch at his torso, sending him flying into the wall.

Koko groaned and forced herself up, ignoring the ache that emanated from half her body. She took a moment to take stock of the situation, noting first that R was okay. The two guards were down, unconscious. Hex herself was lying face down on the floor, her gun a few inches from her empty and limp hand. The agent was still, the picture clear to Koko. A strong blow by an object to the back of her head, knocking her out cold. An object such as a wooden bat, or a clawed metal hand. She turned her head around, going back to the perpetrator that was checking the fallen man.

"The ride of surprises doesn't end" Koko said dryly. She rose up, turning around to show impatient annoyance.

"Yes yes that's all well and good" Black Gold Saw snapped irritably. Behind Koko R carefully went for Hex's gun, not letting his eyes leave her.

"Pardon me for asking, but why are you suddenly helping me? This is about as far as 'out of nowhere' that you can do" Koko questioned nonplussed. The woman huffed, reaching out with her large hand to the control panel. Without a word she touched something, and every door opened at the same time.

"Self preservation" she answered.

Koko blinked, aware that her crew was cautiously leaving their cells.

"Huh?" she briefly let her jaw drop in surprise. Idly she decided that there were too many surprises happening tonight. She also began to wonder what other variant of karma was going to appear next.

"Here's the deal. I help you escape, you take me with you. That simple" Black Gold Saw told her. One thing that wasn't a surprise was Lehm immediately grabbing the fallen guard's rifle from the ground to aim it at her.

"Great idea, if you forget the part where I have every reason to kill you. And the part where you just took away the one bit of leverage you had over me" Koko replied dryly. A glance at Lehm showed that he was clearly itching to shoot, waiting only on her word. She couldn't blame him, he didn't have his entire world shook up like a snow globe.

She rolled her eyes, making Koko wonder where she picked up that gesture.

"I just betrayed the one group that took me in without question to help your ungrateful ass. What more do you want from me?" she snapped.

"Your life for starters" Koko answered coldly. The horned woman slapped her face, being careful to not let her sharp claws rake her countenance.

"He's fine, isn't he? Or was Roanapur being atomized not good enough?" Black Gold Saw spat, dropping her hand to her side.

Several heads turned to Koko, wearing questioning looks.

"The simple fact that you shot him and helped my brother kill tens of thousands is reason enough for me" she answered her instead of her men, her temper flaring.

"Then how about I make things clear. There's a helicopter on it's way from the Ford, whatever that is. Swift's specific orders were, and I quote, 'I want all of them off my ship'" she said.

"Try harder" Valmet piped up, looking to Koko for approval.

"And there's a V-22 Osprey being refueled on the flight deck as we speak. It's going to take Jonah and White Rock Shooter to Insane Black Rock Shooter once the SEALs take care of her" she continued.

The remainder of her men glanced Koko's way. She groaned.

"I'll explain later" she said to them before turning back to Gold Saw "At the risk of losing my temper, why are you helping me? I have every reason to kill you."

"Because I am no longer safe. Has it occurred to you at all how we're able to do any of the things that your kind can't?" Black Gold Saw questioned.

"I have" Tojo said sullenly, (un)fortunately unarmed at the moment.

"Bookman only took me in because I was more valuable as an informant than a test subject. If either the Thais or the Americans landed troops, then they'd be able to capture a some Otherworlders. A few live ones, more dead ones. Once that's done, your people's scientists can go crazy with studying them. Not anymore" she shook her head and snorted.

"So you think you're going to get dissected" Mao said.

"After a long battery of extensive tests to find out everything they can about me. Anesthesia optional. Now, all I want is for you to get me away from here. Once you get wherever you're going I'll take my leave" she finished, crossing her arms.

"I still wanna shoot her" Lehm said, several nods meeting his words.

Koko was silent for a moment, thinking over her request.

"Very well" she said softly. Valmet snapped her head to her incredulously, the first to do so by a single second. Black Gold Saw smiled.

"Great" she said happily.

"If we ever bump into you again, you're not walking away" she threatened. The horned woman bent over to grab the rifle belonging to the guard she punched. Still wearing a smile, she tossed it over, Lutz catching the gun before it hit the floor.

"Wouldn't have it any other way. Lets move" she said, waving a black hand at the door.

Koko sighed, noting that her melancholy was proving contagious. When she glanced around, she found someone immune.

"And how are you doing?" she questioned. The horned girl shook her head, taking her eyes off of Black Gold Saw. Koko doubted there was any attraction to her gaze; more likely she was studying the older girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to her.

"I am well. Watching these fools" she waved a much smaller metal hand at the fallen guards "Fall for the same trick was entertaining."

"She kept spawning a scythe over and over in her cell then got these guys to take it from her. After it turned into dust four times the guard gave up and left her alone" Lutz explained. Koko smiled and bent over closer to her.

"I got some news for you" she said slyly.

"They're taking the boy's body with some other one, I heard. Nice of them to retrieve the corpse" Dead Master said dismissively, errantly waving a hand at her. Koko's smile turned into a smirk.

"Wrong. Jonah's alive" she corrected.

Dead Master froze. Her head creaked over to her, what little color she had was draining away.

" _What_."

"He's just fine. Better than new at this point. How is a long story, I'll fill in everybody once we're in the sky" Koko said for everyone.

A special type of tremble made its way into her limbs. She decided to take it a bit further.

"Which possibility is scarier? Either he's too tough to be killed or he won't stay dead?" she rubbed in.

Dead Master fainted, falling into a heap. Koko laughed, the first good one she'd had in days.

"Um, Koko? We'll have to carry her now" Lehm said uncertainly.

"Leave her, we can't afford any liabilities for this" she commanded once her giggles died down. Koko then turned to all of them, finding on all of her men the same determination she was feeling.

"Now, lets move."

* * *

Jonah had come to the conclusion that Major Lorne was as stoic as himself. The tall Marine hadn't said more than a handful of words since they left the bridge, the five heavily armed men with him had spoken even less. Each one was decked out in full battle dress, toting rifles and body armor. At any given time at least three of them were looking at either himself or her. If there was only three or four he possibly could've taken them, but six was beyond him.

He wasn't sure why they bothered; no matter how many men they had, there wasn't enough to stop White Rock Shooter. She hadn't spoken at all since they left, pointedly keeping to herself. Jonah sensed that she wasn't pleased by what she heard from Swift, but for whatever reason she voiced no protest to the plan. Black Rock Shooter normally stood a decent chance against the special forces, if her so called 'Insane' form was half as dangerous as they made it out to be then those men were going to die, it was just a question of when.

When they reached the flight deck, the Marines escorted the two to their ride. Jonah was willing to admit he was impressed by the craft. The V-22 Osprey was a marvel, a hybrid of helicopter and prop plane. This particular one was white with blue lining, with a large USAF symbol displayed prominently on the side visible to him. He heard a quiet snort from White Rock Shooter, given her previous attitude he was certain she thought it wasn't worth her time.

The Marines didn't look like they cared about the craft, their steady march (not quite in sync with each other) kept the men moving to it, along with their charges. Their pace did allow for the shorter legs of the two children if nothing else. Jonah consciously fell into step with them, old habits coming into the fore as a subtle reminder. He noted that the men were sparing several glances at him, perhaps wondering if it was just childish imitation. It was unlikely they knew that he had most likely killed more people then all of them combined.

Ten meters from the craft one of the Osprey's crew waved them on, just as Major Lorne's radio crackled to life. When something all too familiar whistled by before he could answer, Jonah's instincts made him dive for the deck. To the Marines credit they were only a second slower than him, swinging around with guns raised. Another faint buzz of a gunshot came by and one of the men dropped, shouting in pain as he pitched backwards. White Rock Shooter stopped walking, turning around with bored interest at the odd occurrence that was going on around her.

Another man dropped before they switched to the direction the gunfire was coming from, strangely it was from the conn tower. One more man fell from a round to his torso before they opened fire, clipped bursts erupting from their M4s. Major Lorne moved to cover the girl, but a well placed shot to his shoulder dropped him with a snarl of pain. The last two cast aside caution and sprayed fire, hoping that the hail of lead would make their unseen attackers cease. No such luck, five precise gunshots hit their legs and took them down.

Hugging the deck and giving a reproachful look at a still standing White Rock Shooter, Jonah had a sneaking suspicion of who attacked them. The how of their escape, much less the sheer improbability of the eight (nine he corrected once he sourly remembered) actually getting away from their captors failed to change his opinion. No matter the odds, his suspicion was proven to be right after all when he saw several huddled figures coming his way. One of the groaning Marines glared as Jonah relieved him of his rifle.

"Hey guys" he greeted to the first of the figures. He stopped to give the boy a grin, clapping him on the shoulder as well.

"Hiya Jonah, last I time I check you got ventilated" Lehm greeted cheerfully. In spite of his easygoing tone Jonah could sense his elation at seeing him well.

The rest of the team briefly crowded him, giving at the minimum a reassuring pat (Valmet in particular gave a short and powerful hug, mashing him against her) before relieving the groaning Marines of their equipment then piling onto the Osprey. The few crew onboard may have been trained to fly into danger, but that didn't help them against several armed interlopers on the ground. Jonah waited just a moment before he moved on, long enough for Koko to wrap her arms around him and squeeze tightly.

"Boss, gotta move" Lehm said loudly as he dove inside the craft. Ugo was just forcing the pilot out of his seat at gunpoint and was looking over the controls. Tojo and Lutz were going through the equipment on board, the former turning to the wheelman.

"Think you can fly this heap?" he asked. The bulky driver and amateur pilot looked over the bewildering panels of lights, switches, buttons, and other things he couldn't even begin to identify.

"Uh...I think?" Ugo said carefully.

Outside, Koko's bear hug was interrupted by Jonah's insistent cough.

"I'm happy that you're okay too, but we need to go" his muffled voice said into Koko's shoulder. With a groan she finally let go, irritated yet happy. Reluctantly she turned to the dark skinned girl, seeing that her bored countenance that was traced by annoyance hadn't changed.

"Change of plans. Any objections?" she asked her.

"So long as he accompanies me to Insane Black Rock Shooter, I do not care" she answered flatly.

"Great, now get aboard" she gestured to the open hatch.

The boy caught a stranger trying to discreetly board the osprey. He lifted his borrowed rifle to her and cleared his throat, seeing her pause and turn around.

"You" he said emotionlessly. Black Gold Saw crossed her arms and set a tight glare at him; evidently he wasn't the only one upset at her earlier actions. In fact he was the one most upset, though not for the reasons she thought.

"Lower the gun Jonah" Koko ordered, clearly not pleased "We made a deal."

"She caused this. All of this" he said flatly.

"I know, I'm not happy about it either" she said sullenly.

"Next time we meet you can try" Black Gold Saw said before turning to dart in after the powerful girl. Despite the command Jonah kept the gun trained on her until she was out of sight, only lowering it once she was no longer visible.

Jonah turned and stood by, waiting on her orders. He didn't show any reaction to her going to the injured but barely conscious Marine and digging into his pockets, grabbing his cellphone. A few seconds later she had a number dialed, while she put it to her ear she held up a single finger in his direction. She knew they had to leave as soon as possible, but there was one thing she had to do first.

The line clicked on "Hello?"

"Malin, you busy?" Koko asked. The overworked secretary gasped.

"Miss Hekmatyr! I'm so sorry, I didn't-" she began to plead.

"Can it. How is Miami?" she interrupted.

"Oh, um, you won't believe me if I told you" Malin hesitantly said. Koko chuckled.

"Try me" she invited. A baleful alarm began to sound from the direction of the conn tower.

"She's in the next room. Moko and Karen rescued her, all three are fine. That teenager you sent, Huey, has been a phenomenal help. I can't understand it, they were in critical condition" she imagined the woman was shaking her head.

"I figured. Pass along a message to Miami would you? Tell her I'm sorry I wasn't able to help. If she doesn't hear from me in a few days, she'll know what to do" above her the rotors of the V-22 began to spin, the engine beginning to whine "Gotta go. All of you take care" Koko ended the call and dropped the phone back to it's upset owner.

Jonah fell in behind her as she marched aboard the Osprey. Underneath the rumbling deck a series of concussive booms rattled the superstructure below them.

"Sounds like my decoys went off. We better get out of here stat" Wiley yelled over the ever increasing engines, strapping himself in and handing a few headsets out to the others. White Rock Shooter sat perfectly still in her own seat, a headset on her clearly displeased head.

Jonah just got himself in when the craft shuddered, his stomach lurching in a special way that told him they were airborne. He tightened his restraints and hoped Ugo knew what he was doing, guessing that the feeling was shared by the entire crew.

Koko didn't bother with the back, she made her way to the cockpit to take the one free chair beside Ugo. Without a word she strapped herself in and took the controls. She had less idea what she was doing than her driver, but any help in flying the finicky craft would be welcome. Outside the window the majestic view of the George Washington seemed to shrink as they rose, beginning to pull away.

Ugo fumbled with some controls, getting the Osprey to perform the special move that made the aircraft a sensation in spite of it's many flaws: the twin rotors began to twist, rotating ninety degrees to transform it from a twin prop helicopter to a twin prop plane.

"You good?" Koko asked tightly.

"So far. I wish I had a better idea of what I was doing though" he grumbled.

One of the numerous panels lit up, a persistent beeping sound joining it. Koko didn't know what it was, but she could guess easily enough.

"Missile lock!" she shouted.

The Air Force V-22 lurched, the plane swinging to the side in an attempt to evade the lock. It didn't have a chance; two Navy F-18s on recon abandoned their course to intercept the stolen aircraft. One AIM-120 from each plane was fired from a kilometer away, guided by no less than twenty separate radar systems. Both missiles streaked in closer, being made to take out supersonic targets meant that the sluggish propeller driven craft was not going to get away. If its new pilot knew where the chaff flares were, they might have had a remote chance at surviving the first attack.

The small packages of manufactured destruction closed in onto the jinking V-22. The proximity fuses detonated...A dozen meters away from where they were supposed to.

Inside the hold Lehm decided it was a good thing he decided to tighten the restraints, so he was not flung about and could strain out "Koko and flying do not mix, I told you guys this."

A few seconds later that was answered by "It's not her fault!" Lehm grinned, also glad he decided to take a seat on the opposite side of the cabin as Valmet this time. Black Gold Saw gripped her seat holds tighter, wondering if these humans were insane themselves.

The pilots of the two F-18s tracked the still flying V-22, acutely aware that there were no malfunction on their ends. By all that those men knew, that aircraft should have been an expanding ball of flaming wreckage falling to the ocean. Yet it wasn't, it was perfectly fine (though the pilot had yet to realize this). One hit his afterburners and closed in, lining up the nose of his jet on the rapidly closing target. With a flick of his thumb he unlocked his chain gun and pressed the trigger. A burst of depleted uranium shells shot out, lined up perfectly with the stolen plane.

There was a flash of electric light, deflecting the fire entirely. The F-18 pilot tried another burst a few degrees off, watching numbly as the fire pinged off several meters away from the hull, doing nothing. Idly he noted that the barrier was an oval shape before he broke off.

Inside the cockpit Koko was slowly rediscovering how to breath, forcing her trembling hands back under control.

"We're alive" Ugo said breathlessly. She gulped, she had to ask the obvious question.

"White Rock Shooter, did you protect us?" Koko asked into the headset.

"I protected myself. It was a coincidence that you were under the umbrella of my barrier" she answered dryly.

"Well, okay. I'm grateful for that" she said.

"As you should be" she said dryly.

In the back Lehm sighed "Seeing as we have a long flight ahead of us, I think this qualifies as 'later.' So someone start explaining what we missed."

Meanwhile Koko plotted in a course to the intended target zone, where Insane Black Rock Shooter awaited. She hoped they would get there in time.

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 **A/N: To anyone that's questioning (I.E. screaming in rage) at Black Gold Saw's sudden switch, remember that her loyalty is to herself. She hooked up with the CIA because it was in her best interests. Now, getting away is in her best interests. In D &D terms, her alignment is True Neutral.  
**

 **There's only three chapters remaining before The Coming Dawn is finished. To all you lurkers out there, take note.**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: Meant to say this last chapter, but Acidika's long awaited take on this story has been published. Insanity, a Jormungand/Black Rock Shooter crossover. Once you're done here go take a gander over to his profile to check it out, especially since I'm almost finished with this.**

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Insane Black Rock Shooter watched with detached interest as the light faded from the Thahan Phran trooper's eyes. It wasn't unexpected, she did crush his throat in her palm after all. She let go of his body, taking her eyes off him to search for more. He crumpled into a limp heap, some blood leaking from his eyes and nose while the neck was bent at an odd angle. She didn't see this, nor did she care enough to look. The man that yelled an insult then shot at her with his rifle was dead, what more was there?

She glanced down the dirt road where the large vehicle, a bus, disappeared a few minutes ago. Closing her eyes, she could still hear the faint sound of it's engine some distance away. She saw what it looked like, a smaller grey bus meant for travel down roads such as the one she stood in. When she found it the Thahan Phran troopers had it stopped for some reason, maybe to check for smuggling.

Looking to the road the bus traveled down, she turned to go after it, ignoring the body beneath her or the half dozen others that joined him. A firm cough stopped her.

"Wrong way" Jonah curtly reminded. Insane Black Rock Shooter looked away from him, for a moment looking ashamed. The chains from her back lowered close to the ground. Still covered in splotches of blood, he shook his head.

"That's the way you came. You have to go that way" he pointed at the pickup the troopers had. She couldn't help giving him a questioning look.

"You don't know where Manila is. Neither do I. To find it, you'll need a map. There should be one in the glovebox. It's where Ugo kept his" Jonah explained.

Insane Black Rock Shooter nodded thoughtfully. She had forgotten; the questions of why she was there and where she was going were put aside during the fight. Jonah was right. Jonah knew best. He was why she was here after all.

She walked to the red two door pickup as her chains went back to their ready positions, noting that there was black writing on the side that she couldn't read. Raising an eyebrow, she looked it over while she approached, trying to decipher the meaning. Underneath her armored boot a wood finished rifle crunched. A few seconds later she stepped on a severed forearm, a radio still clutched in his death grip.

Pausing before the door, she glanced to her side. Jonah shrugged.

"I can't read that" he answered her unspoken question. She deflated a little. Jonah was good with languages, she was hoping he could've told her what it meant.

Shaking off her questions Insane Black Rock Shooter grabbed ahold of the door, one hand on the convenient handle. It was unlocked; based on what she saw earlier the patrol was just checking the bus over before she arrived. The commander of the men (as well as a couple of women, she noted this while she was killing them) shouted something to the bus before they opened fire. She didn't question his hostility, she just returned it tenfold.

Swinging the door open she suddenly discovered a detail about this truck that wasn't obvious from the outside. The door only opened a little bit before it stopped, some problem from the fender that only allowed it to go halfway. She frowned and tried twice to get it further, only for it to rebound fruitlessly. Finally she gave up and grabbed it by the edges, using only a fraction of her strength she tore it off the hinges with a screech of protesting metal. With an annoyed grunt she idly tossed it aside with the rest of the bodies.

Insane Black Rock Shooter leaned inside, noting the stale scents of old cigarettes and unwashed bodies. Her chains closed together to let her in, her weapons swirling outside. The radio on the dashboard crackled, intelligible words coming from it. For a moment she contemplated responding to it. Lehm or Koko could help her, she just had to-

No. The speaker on the other end wasn't someone she knew. They would hear her voice, and know that it was her that killed these men. She wasn't sure how they would know, but they would. Then the fires that consumed Roanapur would come here. First the screaming jets that dropped bombs would arrive, like what Koko loved to explain to clients whenever she took her along for a deal. This quiet stretch of jungle would turn into ash. Then the great flash, one she caught the barest edge of and still hurt her, would arrive. It would kill her.

She couldn't die. Not yet, not while Kaspar was alive.

Once he was dead...she didn't know what to do after that. Black Gold Saw had to die too of course, there was that to do. While she was at it, Dead Master as well. But that was secondary really, all that mattered was Kaspar. Jonah coughed again. Shaking her metal covered head, Insane Black Rock Shooter went back to her task. Find a map. Once she found a map, she would find Manila. Once she found Manila, she would find Kaspar.

Her gaze caught the center console between the seats, sitting inconspicuously. Sometimes there were things in those too, it was worth a look anyway. She reached over and clicked it open, peering inside. Empty cigarette cartoons, scraps of paper, metal debris, and other congruent things. Nothing that she wanted. Closing it she looked up to the rest of the car, and to her muted surprise, she found a gun barrel hovering a few inches from her face.

Her eyes, one still calmly aflame, traced the shaking gun (a M1911 that had seen better days) back to it's owner. A brown skinned hand held it, which led to a green fatigued arm, which led to a small torso, then ending at the wide eyes and tight features of a young man in the cramped backseat. Upon closer inspection of his clearly frightened features she downgraded him to a boy. To her purple eyes, the Thai boy looked no older than seventeen. Flickering over the rest of him, she saw that his outfit matched the others outside.

For several seconds she was puzzled, not at his current location but at his age. She knew only those eighteen and older were allowed in the military, so why-

"That's in America and other western countries. If he had a parent's approval he could join at seventeen" Jonah reminded.

His wide eyes tracked her every move as she nodded in understanding. Though the hand holding the gun was shaking, he did a reasonable job of keeping it trained on her. As for the why of him being where he was, that was simple enough to guess. Based on his age, he could only have been with the unit outside for a short time. Not long enough to form that selfless bravery soldiers everywhere seemed to possess.

She was going to kill him; all she had to do was just reach out to grab ahold of some part of him, his face, his throat, anything really, then crush it. The gunfire couldn't hurt her, the hundred brass casings on the ground outside were bigger than what the hand sized weapon could use, and they didn't slow her down at all before she killed their owners. She began to raise her hand to him, studying his face. He was young.

 _Too young to be there. Too young to die._

Her features contorted, and the hand slammed against the seat. The three weapons threw themselves around, the chains holding them writhing with her turmoil. The boy jumped, but somehow he refrained from shooting. Insane Black Rock Shooter's head twisted to the side, her breathing becoming ragged. Hot gasps left her as she panted, what self control she had left struggling to keep the thoughts at bay before she broke.

She couldn't allow herself to break. If she let the memories consume her, then she would stay where she was. Not moving, not reacting. She would curl into a ball and stay there until the world ended. No, she had to stay strong. She had to finish her task.

Eventually she got her breathing back under control, stabilized back to normal. Slowly, almost guiltily even, she withdrew from the inside of the truck. She was about to leave it but at the last second she remembered why she went to the car in the first place. Still breathing deeply, she didn't bother with the tiny latch. Her clawed hand punctured five tiny holes into the thin metal, and she tore the tiny door from the clasp holding it in place. A weak lightbulb lit up, giving her illumination she didn't need. A few seconds of rooting around and she found what she wanted.

Insane Black Rock Shooter forgot about the boy. She went to the hood of the truck and gently unfolded the thin paper. To her annoyance she tore a small hole into it; she hoped it wasn't over something important. A minute later and she finally had it how she wanted it, lying flat against the dirty metal hood so she could see what the paper showed. She stared for several seconds, the only movement being the wisps from her flaming eye.

It was a map of Thailand, all of the country. Written in the local language she couldn't read. No markers, no locations, nothing to help identify any point of reference. She understood none of it.

In one smooth motion Insane Black Rock Shooter raised both of her arms and brought her fists down on the hood. The metal crumpled, tearing the map she no longer cared for. But she didn't stop at one blow; again and again she slammed the bottom of her fists on the truck, even as a large hole was torn through the hood and into the vulnerable motor. Underneath the suspension was sagging from the beating she was giving it, until it crumpled and gave out. Every pane of glass broke, cracking as she vented her rage upon the hapless vehicle.

Distantly she was aware that the driver's side door was flung open and the Thahan Phran trooper scrambled out, seeking to escape before she changed her mind about his unexpected mercy. She didn't care.

When she finally had enough, she threw her head back and let out a roar of fury into the jungle night. What few creatures that were not quieted by the sound of abused steel were silenced by her scream. Insane Black Rock Shooter turned her furious burning gaze back upon the wrecked truck, most of the front end an unrecognizable mass of fractured metal. Heaving with anger, she absently shook her hands to get rid of the fragments that were caught in her hands during her tantrum.

Jonah cleared his throat, making her wince. The fire over her eye instantly dimmed, and she guiltily turned his way. Fortunately he didn't mind her outburst, or the car she punched into scrap. He smiled, waving her up from the slinking pose as she sought his forgiveness. Watching her rise, he said nothing to anger her further. Some time later she ended up giving a small smile back at him. Whatever happened, he would be at her side. In the end, that was all that mattered.

All Jonah did was turn back to the same direction she had been going originally, lifting his hand to point her to where she needed to go. She thought that was where she needed to go anyway, maybe it was just step one of the path she was supposed to travel. Her goal remained unchanged: find map, find Manila, find Kaspar. Insane Black Rock Shooter smiled at the boy she loved and continued on her way.

A mile of dark jungle later, she paused for a moment. A noise she was certain wasn't there before reached her ears, a distinct whirring sound that was oddly familiar. Looking up to the wonderful view of the night sky, Insane Black Rock Shooter was distracted by the awe inspiring sight of the Milky Way galaxy spread out across the length of the sky. A faint change of tone made her recall why she looked up in the first place. She searched over and over, but found no sign of a propeller driven aircraft marring the sight.

In the end she decided that it wasn't important. She dropped her head and kept moving, not recognizing the tiny black dot of a Predator drone in flight for what it was.

The camera underneath the USAF owned and operated unmanned aircraft's nose swiveled, the complex sensor equipment inside methodically tracking every step, every sway, and every direction the girl made. It's job was made slightly easier by the odd discovery that the girl's ambient body temperature was several degrees hotter than the human norm. In real time the array of data it was receiving was being analyzed and sent out, first to the US military base in Vandenberg, California, then relayed to the two teams of Navy SEALs that were getting into position.

Half of the special forces soldiers were in the jungle shadowing her every move, fifteen in total. Squad ten, better known as Terror Ten, watched her from several angles at a minimum of several hundred meters. It tore at the men to watch her effortlessly destroy the Thahan Phran troopers, each one considering disobeying orders and opening fire with everything they had. But alas, they could not. The hastily crafted plan was in motion, their role was to insure that she played her part.

Insane Black Rock Shooter wasn't aware of any of this, but her senses were telling her she was being watched. A rational mind would have dismissed the feeling as a byproduct of being in the nighttime jungle, were she in a right state of mind she would have. However, she was not in a right state of mind. Being in a fundamentally wrong state was the reason she was trekking through the thick foliage in the dark, wandering in a random direction for something she had no hope of finding.

A flash of light stopped her in her tracks, a quick blink through the dense leaves. Insane Black Rock Shooter paused once more, blinking slightly to make sure she did see something. It was possible she imagined it, there was no shortage of odd sounds that she no longer noticed, why not lights? A minute passed and she just started to get going again when it flashed again. A quick blink of a tiny white light in the darkness.

She abandoned her path, errantly waving a hand at Jonah before he could say something, closing in on the light. Another blink redoubled her efforts. Soon she was crashing through the brush, uncaring of anything that was listening for her. For all of her irrationality, she knew for sure that there was nothing out here that could challenge her. Animals big and small, humans young or old, nothing could kill her. Because of this, she lacked any sense of caution.

When she crashed through the last of the brush, Insane Black Rock Shooter briefly feared that the light was gone and she had lost her way for nothing. When it did flash she was startled, the cannon and the machine gun leaping into her hands instantly. A moment of tense silence passed before she lowered the weapons, affixing her curious gaze upon the thing that drew her here. The chains gently retracted her weapons when she let go, crouching down to the object.

Her eyes squinted when it blinked again, the light harsh as close as she was. One hand plucked it off the tree, absently turning it over to examine it. A cheap LED light (she never did find out what LED stood for) with a length of pink marker tape wrapped around in a pretty knot. She felt the smooth surface of the latex material, recalling seeing similar tape on fences in a few of the places she visited. It was bright and colorful, standing out in stark relief to the rest of the jungle.

Why was it there?

Suddenly she was up, the cannon jumping into her hand as she scanned her surroundings. She heard a stick cracking nearby, setting her off. Her hard gaze looked around her, swiveling the cannon in a lazy circle. If a target presented itself she would tear it apart, with her bare hands if the cannon didn't kill it first.

Nothing appeared. She lowered the cannon, idly aware that she was still holding the blinking device. It flashed again, and she gave it a dry look before crushing it. The plastic crunched instantly, not even remotely able to withstand the strength that she possessed. She dropped it, giving her hand a shake to get rid of the bits of plastic like the metal earlier. Insane Black Rock Shooter looked around, intent on retracing her steps to get on her way once more.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw another white blink. Her features wrinkling in confusion, she turned to the way it came from, waiting until the next LED flashed before going after it. This one was a few dozen meters away, close enough for the light to reach her but not so close that the long string of childishly simple lures were immediately visible.

Fifteen meters away the SEAL slowly exhaled, berating himself for making a rookie mistake like stepping on that branch. It was possible to set the light up to a remote switch, but neither of the teams thought to grab any of those, forcing them to set up the lights by manual control. One of the pitfalls of such a rushed operation, they didn't have everything planned out thoroughly. The team leaders had twenty minutes to hash out an operation with dangerously little intel. He knew some of his people were going to die tonight, he hoped it wouldn't be many.

Each flagged light was roughly thirty meters apart, enough to lead Insane Black Rock Shooter along a path she had no idea existed. To a human, the second light would've been the indicator that the lights were a trap. To an experienced one like the SEALs that set them up, they wouldn't have fallen for the first. But their intel claimed that these foes, dubbed Oscar Whiskeys, were not human. Tricks that no mature human would fall for would work on these things. Just in case several commandos were scattered through the jungle, ready to take a few shots at her to move her along in the same manner.

"Somethings not right" Jonah warned her, slowing her progress some. Insane Black Rock Shooter agreed with him of course. Her senses were warning her of danger, but she was curious. Someone went to a lot of effort to put all these lights out here, so many she stopped bothering to take them off the trees they were placed on. The question was why? They had to be important, why else would they be there? Also, by following the markers she lost track of where she was. Other than picking a random direction and going that way, the only thing she could do was follow the things.

Some time later, minutes, hours, she wasn't sure how long, she saw something else. A yellow light peeking through the trees in the distance along the blinking machines. Curious, she proceeded to travel that way, mindlessly grabbing her jagged edged sword to hack through the thicker plants in her way. All the while, a hint of worry was sliding into her conscious thoughts. Jonah's words were resonating with her, warning of danger.

Finally she hacked her way through an obstinate tree branch, into an unexpected clearing. She frowned as she looked around, checking over the immediate area. The other side of the jungle was just a dozen meters in front of her, but to the left and right she saw the clearing stretched away. A road she realized, unpaved but reasonably well cared for. In one direction the darkness obscured everything, in the other was the yellow light she spotted. Another blinker was lying in the middle of the road, inviting her to come closer.

Going towards the yellow light, she ignored the flashing LED entirely. Buildings rose from the darkness, haloed by simple dull lights that drew her to them in the first place. Simple wooden buildings with corrugated metal roofs, reminding her of the cheap structures in South Africa during her brief sojourn there. None of them were taller than two stories. Peeking through the spaces between buildings was nothing but a yawning expanse of empty dark.

Continuing to walk down the road, she saw more and more buildings. It was a small village, total population perhaps in the few hundreds range. Or was, Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't see a single soul in sight. Lights were on, the single store was blindingly bright, but there was no one. The tingle on her skin that spoke of eyes on her increased exponentially however. Carefully she strode down the main street, looking around at everything. She felt the presence of humans everywhere.

 _"This it?" asked the Naval Colonel to his counterpart over the roar and bustle of activity. On the outskirts of the tiny village the last of the buses were beginning to pull away. In a few moments the trailing elements of their army and militia escorts would follow them. It was better than the two Chinook helicopters the Americans arrived in with their loads of equipment, the noise level was tolerable at least. The Thai Major nodded._

 _"All yours" he said in atrocious english. Without any further word he turned to jog to the last transport that was waiting on him, filled with nervous soldiers. No sooner did he climb aboard did the two ton vehicle start pulling away._

 _It wasn't often that United States soldiers conducted operations in Thailand, much less often when the Prime Minister personally sanctioned their mission and told the collective leadership in the region to cooperate. And cooperate they did; the small village was chosen as the location of the ambush, for their safety they had to be evacuated. They weren't told the real reason of course, a convincing cover story of a separatist attack was given instead. It didn't matter if they believed it, the army was there to take them to a safe place, whether they wanted to or not._

 _While they were being taken out, the US Navy Sea Air and Land teams were moving in. All twenty members of Terror Ten were heading out into the jungle to lay a lure to draw the target in, while Team 9, known colloquially as Night Nine, created a hasty killzone. Thirty special forces soldiers, the elite of the elite, dispatched to eliminate one target._

 _The Colonel, an older gentleman with a last name of Ricks, looked to the ground while his men busied themselves with their task, seeing the reflection of his camouflaged uniform with his slung SCAR-H (taken specifically because the harried officer giving them what little intel they had claimed that standard ammo was 'ineffective' whatever that meant) in a dirty puddle of water._

The puddle splashed, her armored boot leaving it as soon as it arrived. Insane Black Rock Shooter ignored her muddy foot, preferring to keep looking around for anything. She didn't know what to look for, only that the tingling that told her eyes were watching was omnipresent. Just because the tiny village looked abandoned didn't mean it was.

"Maybe they're scared of you so they hid?" Jonah suggested. Frowning, she nodded thoughtfully. Inwardly she thought otherwise. Something was wrong.

A thin wail echoed out, stopping her in place. She looked around, locating the noise in a few seconds. Confused, she changed direction, going to a nearby street corner. The wailing, clearly human, grew louder the closer she got to it. Around the corner of a brick building she found the source of the sound underneath a weak streetlamp. Her confusion was magnified tenfold by the sight.

Insane Black Rock Shooter knew what it was, she'd seen them often enough. Many in London during her jaunt, a few in South Africa before they went to the mountains, a couple of Dubai and Woodcrest, and a handful in Narita.

A baby stroller.

It sat in the middle of the dirt street, alone and unattended. The distressed wailing, now she was able to identify it as a baby's, wafted out. It wasn't much, a basic plastic stroller that was worth a fraction of her destroyed phone. The back handle was facing her, the tiny spot where the baby was supposed to be placed out of her sight. Handing over the top was the edge of a small blanket. Insane Black Rock Shooter stared at the stroller blankly, unmoving save for her breathing. Her hard gaze faded into something she had only made once since she became what she was now; numb, yet containing a faint trace of longing.

Never before did the concept of babies concern her. They were just larval humans, things that made noise and awful smells. She knew about them intellectually, understanding that at one point all of the people she was fond of was a baby once. Humans in general put a great deal of focus on them, given that babies would one day become actual humans and succeed them it made perfect sense. In the end however, it was just another human, nothing that she should pay any mind too.

And yet, now she wanted to see this abandoned child. She didn't know what she was going to do with it, but for once she decided she wasn't going to kill them. She would...She would...Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't know what to do.

She took her eyes off the stroller, looking to her side at the brick building. The glass window wasn't giving a good reflection in the dim light, but it showed enough. Showed her the deathly pallor of her skin, the muted fire burning over her eye, the armor that coated her form, and the weapons that were as much a part of her as her own limbs. The thing in the glass staring back at her was optimized to kill. The thing had killed many, too many to count. Young, old, armed, unarmed, it made no difference. They all died at her hand. She was a monster. Maybe that was why it was crying so much.

In that moment, Insane Black Rock Shooter wondered. Was there more she could do?

"Your life is your own" Jonah told her. Perhaps...

Perhaps she didn't have to kill the child. There were other options. She didn't delude herself that she could take care of it. But there were others that could. A kind soul whose life she didn't have to take. Just leave the child with them and move on. Find Kaspar, then-

Insane Black Rock Shooter decided. She would take the baby to someone that could take care of it. Someday, she might return to them. See how they were doing. After she found Kaspar.

She walked to the stroller, the prickle on her skin growing worse. Ignoring it, she gently trailed around to the front of the tiny carrier. The wailing never ceased, internally she marveled at it's endurance. When the baby was in her arms she would be as gentle as possible, doing her absolute best to make it comfortable until she found someone. Stopping in front of the stroller, she noticed the plain blanket covered the front. It was easy to pinch her fingers around a corner to lift it away.

Insane Black Rock Shooter had precisely two seconds to process the sight of a small bluetooth speaker beside a block she recognized as a claymore before it went off.

Heat and pressure blasted her, making her feet briefly leave the ground. Pain raced out from almost the entire front facing part of her body, overwhelming everything else. All the breath in her lungs was violently forced out, making her unconsciously gasp. Fire from the claymore licked her extremities while steel bearings pinged off her skin. She barely registered her back hitting the ground, utterly stunned by what just transpired.

No sooner did the fire draw back did the sound of a dozen rifles opening up reach her, seemingly after the air began to punch her dazed form. High pitched metallic pings and sparks flew from her body as the bullets bounced off of her. She was limp, reeling from the shock of having a mine blow up in her face.

The feelings that were bubbling within her evaporated, leaving behind the cold husk that was so adept at death. Her recovering senses reached out, noting the locations of every shooter that had her in their sights. All of them were coming from above. Detaching her emotions, she came to the conclusion that the stroller was a trap. The entire town was a trap, done for the purpose of stopping her. It didn't matter what they were or who sent them.

Insane Black Rock Shooter was going to kill every last one of them.

The second the gunfire cut out she scrambled to her feet, the sword sliding into one hand while her cannon slid into the other as the cannon took a ready position over her. It took her a fraction of a second to pick a direction, to the thicker concentration of fire. Then she ran, jumping to scale up the side of the building. An impossible maneuver for a human. But she wasn't human.

Crashing through the window barely registered to her, what did was the camouflaged figure a few feet away. He quickly turned, yanking his rifle away from the window to her. Not fast enough. One powerful slash cut diagonally turned him into three parts, nothing on him from the rifle to his body armor slowing her sword down. He died before he could scream. Before his remains hit the ground she was charging again, to the next target.

The door was booby trapped with a tripwire connected to another claymore, the two SEALs in the next room thought if the target survived she would come up via the stairs. Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't oblige them; the point of her cannon led the way as she broke through the thin wall, plaster flying everywhere. She pressed the trigger, hosing the two men inside down with purple bolts. They were torn apart where they stood.

The entire team heard the deaths of their three comrades and decided that their plan was a bust. Each of the twelve remaining members of Night Nine abandoned their locations, intending to scatter and try to lead the target to any one of the numerous traps they had set. On the outskirts of the town Terror Ten broke into a run, intent on relieving their fellow soldiers.

Four of them were in a light jog with their weapons up when the second story window exploded, a lithe form jumping out to crash in the middle of the street. All of the SEALs in sight opened fire at once, breaking up while laying on the pressure. In response she yanked up her corrupted M60 and let loose a tide of bolts, the weapon barking out at them. Two were caught by the fire, one dying instantly as his body was shredded. The other was not so lucky, a shot hit his shoulder and knocked him off his feet, injured but alive.

The cannon joined the M60 as Insane Black Rock Shooter hefted both weapons to rake everything in sight with the lethal bolts. Everywhere she was certain the shooters were at was hit, tearing apart the fronts of the buildings. Three more SEALs were caught by the strange return fire, one dying almost instantly when a bolt ripped open his throat.

Her weapons abandoned the buildings to send a short deluge at a tiny grouping that was trying to get in the middle of the streetto the wounded man, cutting them down where they stood. More gunfire from the SEALs hit her, the 7.62mm ammunition having no effect greater than the Thai soldiers a couple of hours ago. Idly she noted that fragments of the bullets were landing at her feet.

She ignored it, focusing on the wounded man who was trying to crawl away as she watched. Insane Black Rock Shooter stalked to him, not reacting when he drew his sidearm and emptied his magazine at her chest. The pistol did nothing, and its slide was locked back as she stood over him. She raised her bayoneted cannon to stab him.

She blinked, and suddenly she was tumbling head over heels. Her head throbbed in ways she didn't think were possible, ears ringing and eyes blearily unfocused. Recovering quickly, she scrambled back up to face down whatever it was that attacked her so she could tear its throat out. Insane Black Rock Shooter just made it to her feet when it happened again, this painfully loud blow hitting her shoulder hard enough to knock the monster over again.

Getting back up was quicker this time, and she now knew what hit her and where it came from. Her head snapped to the shooter down the street, her flaming eye blazing. Three others surrounded him, upright and on their knees while they emptied another magazine at her. He was on his stomach, with the stock of the giant M82 rifle nestled against his shoulder.

Clinically detached, she realized that was a sensible action. Koko never let her shoot one herself, but she was nearby one when it was fired. Twenty feet away from Lutz and she still felt the air shudder from the sheer power of the gun. At the time she wanted one badly, feeling that her cannon was inadequate.

Right now, it wasn't. In fact, it was perfect for what she had in mind. Grabbing the side, she flung the broad weapon between her and the sniper and held it aloft. She was just in time, the next shot boomed out and the .50 caliber armor piercing round that had a greater effect on her than anything she'd faced (save for the claymore) smacked the proffered side of her cannon.

The weapon jerked back under the blow, for a second greater than her own prodigious strength. She held on tightly, and the cannon stayed where it was. The round bounced off, ricocheting away into a building. Behind it she smiled, marching to him steadily. On the edge of her attention two more of the SEALs darted over to grab the wounded man; her M60 twisted around to shoot at them all. The one on the ground never got up.

She waited until he fired again before she yanked it to the side, leaping across the short divide with her hands free. Backhanding one of the flankers away first, she let one foot fall behind as she advanced. When she swept the armored boot forward it hit the gun first, cleanly throwing it aside for her to descend on him. One punch was all that she needed to break his spine at the back of the neck, the second that caved in his skull through his helmet was just a bonus.

With the sniper dealt with, that left two more men beside him, plus an unknown number of foes remaining. There were nineteen in total, though she had no way to know that then.

The number decreased steadily. She grabbed the throat of the first man before he could run, tearing away a part containing his Adam's apple in her attempt to crush it. The second let lose a burst as he tried to flee, which she returned with her cannon. While she was shooting him, she felt more gunfire pattering her. The second she let go of the trigger her head swiveled to them, a single man firing clipped bursts at her. She paused long enough to stomp on the .50 first.

Insane Black Rock Shooter closed the distance between them, catching him after he turned to sprint. Her cannon went through his back, spearing him and taking the man off the ground entirely as she flung his body aside. More gunfire hit her, this time coming from different directions. Deepening into a scowl, she cut loose a burst of bolts at one (catching but not killing him) before she charged in the other direction.

The SEAL tossed a tiny object at her feet as she ran at him. Unluckily for him, she knew what it was. A sweep of her cannon's bayonet caught the grenade and swept it aside. It went off at the same time the sword jumped in her hand, the blast wave reaching her just prior to her slash that cut off one of the soldier's arms and left a deep gash in his torso. He wasn't going to die right away, she judged that acceptable.

Terror Ten and what was left of Night Nine decided to fall back in the face of the monster that they simply couldn't kill. A group was hastily formed from the two squads behind a building, pooling their remaining ammo and whatever explosives that they carried. Seeing the edge of one disappearing around a corner the pigtailed monster gave pursuit, sweeping around to grab his head from behind. A quick twist and she removed his jaw while his neck was broken. As he dropped, she looked over to the five pairs of eyes looking back at her.

The SEALs didn't hesitate as others might have, and neither did she. Gunfire boomed, doing nothing to stop her from getting to them. Sword and cannon hacked and slashed, killing one elite soldier after another. A moments pleasure passed through Insane Black Rock Shooter at hearing their screams; why they wanted to kill her was a question she still had no answer for, but they tried. They were failing, soon they would all be dead. Then she could move on to Kaspar.

Taking a moment to make sure the soldiers by her were dead, she turned to dart away, back to the center of the town. Locating the last few SEALs would take a few minutes at most, then she would figure out where to go from there. A town as big as the one she was in must have a map or two she could use, she was already checking out potential locations when she came back into the street.

A couple of SEALs were attempting to flee, or they seemed to. In reality they were rushing to another planted claymore, trying to bait the inhuman monster into stepping into the one weapon that had an effect. One took an inopportune look behind him, discovering the last thing he wanted to see that moment. His partner pushed on while he stopped to whip himself around. Insane Black Rock Shooter didn't question why he stopped, or why he slung his rifle away to grab a large tube object on his back.

She charged, closing the distance quickly. He stayed put, to her puzzlement he was too fixated on fumbling with the tube and getting it on his shoulder. She had the premonition that something wasn't right, but she failed to realize what he was doing until she was on top of him, lunging with her sword curled up to cut him in half. Perhaps he knew he stood no chance of getting away, so he decided to go down swinging. For him, that meant firing an 84mm anti-tank missile from an AT-4 at a target that was polite enough to put herself a few feet from the edge of the barrel. The fact that he died as a result didn't affect his decision.

Insane Black Rock Shooter's world turned into fire once again, feeling the overpressure deafen her and the blast singeing her. Utterly limp, she was set flying in a sheen of smoke. Bouncing against the ground twice before landing into a tangled heap, her own phenomenal physiology temporarily overwhelmed. While she laid in a mess of damaged limbs the sole question running through her mind was 'why do they love fire so much?' She wanted to ask Jonah, but at the moment she could neither speak or hear.

Unlike the claymore, no one took the chance to fire at her. For one, none of the remaining SEALs were in a position to take a shot. Two, none of them bothered, it did nothing but tell her where they were. Instead, they were taking the chance to fall back. The able bodied ones helped those with injuries too severe to move, while a couple grabbed the chains from those in sight. There was no time to collect the fallen bodies, any second now the target could get back up.

Colonel Ricks, one arm hanging limply from a bolt that mangled his shoulder, brushed off one of his men that wanted to help and grabbed his radio. Hoarsely he barked "Command, operation is a failure, repeat, op has failed. We are falling back."

Several nerve wracking seconds ticked by before the reply came "Copy. Air asset is in position, set your beacons and clear the zone in one mike" went the emotionless reply of the commander. Ricks grimaced, but he knew there was no other way. He clicked his throat mike to a platoon wide channel, to reach every one of the men still breathing.

"Drop everything you don't need and run, we have less than a minute to get the hell out of here. Move!" he screamed, summoning the last reserves of his strength to push himself into a sprint. A few men were limping, slowing down those who were still able bodied. One slapped his friend of several years and barked at him to leave him behind, the last thing he did was grab the grenade from his belt.

Insane Black Rock Shooter groaned. She blinked, the flame over her eye increasing as she recovered. Her three weapons planted themselves in the ground along with her arms to push her tired body up, for the moment heaving breath. She was tired, so tired, but she had to press on. Kill the men, find Kaspar. Giving up was not an option. Pulling up her face from the dirt road, she felt a cough spasm coming on. She hacked, blind to the specks of black ichor that splattered the ground.

Distantly she was aware that the prickling feeling of eyes on her was decreasing, and as she staggered back to her feet no more gunfire challenged her. Internally the damage caused by the missile was already fixing itself, a fact that she was only peripherally conscious of. She didn't care how or why she was able to recover so fast, what was important was that she was getting better. Get better and move on was the limit of her organized thoughts.

However, once she was back on her feet a fresh sound reached her ears. It wasn't easy to hear; her ears were still ringing, and her deep breathing wasn't helping clear the background noise. In a few seconds though the sound became clearer, coming into relief. For a moment she was confused, since she was still recovering. Then it dawned on her that she was not getting quieter, it was getting louder. A monotonous droning noise that grated on her frayed temper. It came from above.

She looked up, just making out the faint sight of the AC-130U "Spooky II" close air support gunship as it began its performance.

The first shell hit a dozen meters from her back, creating a blast that put the AT-4 to shame. Eyes widening, Insane Black Rock Shooter was buffeted by the explosion. It took her several seconds to realize she was airborne, nowhere close to the ground. When she hit the ground again the girl bounced, feeling a tremor roiling through the ground. The second time she had to use her weapons to keep herself upright, coming to a stop in a crouch.

In that instant she realized her mistake; she had gotten distracted by the lure of fresh victims. She knew now that she never should have deviated from her course, those blinking lights that caught her eye or the booby trapped stroller. She should've ignored them and pressed on, ignore everything that wasn't helping her find Manila. Now she was facing fire from the sky, and she didn't know if she could beat it.

" _Run_ " Jonah told her. It didn't matter where, all Insane Black Rock Shooter needed to do was run.

Five thousand feet above her, the controller operating the 40mm Bofors cannon was quietly amazed at the target. A near miss like that should have killed the thing the first time, instead of dying it was taking off like a speeding car. He didn't question the hows of the thing, he just did his job. Relaying orders to the other gunners, he went back to his infrared display to line up the computerized sights of the cannon on the target. The gunship lazily turned, all three of its massive weapons tracking the target.

The village was on the edge of a sizable clearing of logged forest, where the humans removed the lush jungle for processing elsewhere. She saw the open space as an invitation, when she should have seen it as a trap. Blowing past a struggling SEAL she sprinted, legs pumping and breath heaving. Though the ground was coated with cut brush and detritus, she got through by hitting stumps and whatever bits of open area that she could. She had no way of knowing that in her haste she exceeded sixty miles per hour; given some flat ground she could go even faster.

It wasn't fast enough to save her. A stream of 25mm round tore apart the ground beside her, making Insane Black Rock Shooter veer away in the other direction. Every six seconds a new 40mm shell boomed out from the gunship, intentionally landing just far enough behind her to keep her moving forward. The chain gun fired in bursts, trailing her and keeping her from going one direction to the other. Straight forward was where the captain of the gunship wanted her to go.

It occurred to her that she was being led, shepherded by the thing from the sky she could barely see let alone shoot at. It also occurred to her that there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing but run faster, get to the other side of the painfully large clearing. Underneath the canopy of the jungle she could hide, save herself from this onslaught. The bile at the back of her throat didn't register, disgust was being relegated to the back of her mind for the time being. Survival came first, then she could rage at being forced to flee.

Insane Black Rock Shooter cried out when the path in front of her exploded. She was so focused on escaping the explosions behind her, it didn't cross her mind that the plane could hit anywhere it please. Yanking herself back, she skidded to a frantic stop. Before she was done digging trenches in the stick covered ground she was already kicking her legs, trying to get moving in the other direction.

25mm bursts from the way she came and a fresh 40mm shell in the same location the first hit made her peel off to the side, darting away at a great speed. But another shell in her path caused her to skid again, more fire dancing around her. Insane Black Rock Shooter hurriedly glanced around for an opening, a way she could escape. She had no way of knowing that she had danced precisely to the tune of the gunners.

The last cannon of the Spooky II, silent until now, swiveled into position. Smooth electric motors guided by the onboard computers placed the barrel of the cannon with in a fraction of a degree in the perfect position to deliver the killing blow. The third gunner aboard the AC-130 had the weapon exactly where she wanted it to be, waiting only on the order from the captain. The radio headset covering her head crackled.

"Fire." She flicked the switch of the joystick and hit the requisite button that invariably killed people, but right as her thumb hit the button the radio crackled again, making the gun move a couple of degrees. This was the only thing that saved the target's life.

The entire gunship shuddered as the 105mm howitzer boomed. At its altitude the large artillery round needed only seconds to close the distance, hitting twenty meters off from where it was supposed to land. The high explosive shell actually detonated five feet from the ground, it's inbuilt fuse doing it's job properly.

Insane Black Rock Shooter was flung away limply, for all of her power she was unable to stop herself. The sheer explosive force swatted her aside, making her gracelessly tumble through the air. Fire billowed around her, licking at her a little and leaving behind a short lived coat of foul smoke. For a moment she thought she saw Jonah on the ground, and she tried to reach out to him. Then she hit the ground, rebounding into a bounce before rolling for several yards. When she stopped tumbling she was tangled up in her own limbs, utterly still.

* * *

"Oh no" Koko whispered breathlessly. She saw the orange lights race out from the AC-130, lighting the field up in a hellish glow. From the pilot's chair Ugo grimaced, not just at the sight but at the upset voice in his ear.

"Kilo two five, you are in a combat operation, turn around at once!" the speaker snapped. The bulky driver had to take his eyes off the finicky controls for a moment to find the right switch.

"You're on boss" he said, flipping a switch.

"Repeat, turn around-"

"Shut up and cease fire, we're coming in" Koko barked.

The V-22 lurched, the nose dipping down while the propellers rotated back. Jonah was strapped in tight, something he was glad at earlier but now he was furious over. He could see he glow from the fires through the few hatch windows, artillery to his experienced eye.

"Have we arrived?" questioned White Rock Shooter from her seat, her dry inflection never changing during the entire flight. Lehm glanced out the window as well, noting that everyone else was doing the same.

"Think so" he commented. Jonah gripped his safety belts tighter, waiting impatiently.

The pilots in the AC-130 decided that the situation called for them to back off, their captain concurring. So it was when the stolen aircraft came in for a sloppy landing in the open field close to the final explosion it was alone, for the moment. Thai Army and US Navy helicopters were minutes away according to the radio chatter in Koko's ear and her own experienced view. Whatever was going to happen had to do so soon.

Underneath the V-22 the landing struts opened, giving the bird something beside it's bare hull to land on. Ugo was good, but there was only so much he could do. The aircraft bumped dangerously, rougher than any pilot was trained to do. Koko was already unclipping her own harness and scrambling out of the cockpit, one of the last to do as she discovered. Everyone in sight (with one exception) was alternating between soreness from being in a seat for close to an hour and alertness for what they had to do.

No sooner did Valmet find and hit the button to release the back ramp was Jonah already scrambling out the exit, frantically searching for Black Rock Shooter.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah yeah, late I know. Work, lack of motivation, longest chapter, so on. Hope you enjoy it, there's not many left.**


	19. The End

**A/N: Here it is folks, the moment you've been waiting for this entire time. Now, allow me to conclude this story once and for all.**

* * *

In the far distance, the sky was beginning to glow from the rising sun.

Jonah didn't notice; he was too preoccupied with panting as he looked over the weakly burning destruction around him. Frantically he searched around, stopping only when a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.

"Slow down" Koko carefully commanded, her voice loud to beat the decreasing rotors of the V-22. Based on her own heavy breathing he was certain she sprinted out just after him. Swallowing a lump, he nodded.

Black Gold Saw was quickly strolling out, making an effort to appear like she was looking for the girl. Exiting next R sent her a glare before jogging away, the seven others in his wake not even giving her that much. Those who were armed brought the appropriated guns up to search for survivors, sweeping around the fire lit clearing. Leaving last was White Rock Shooter, who took a moment to scoff at her surroundings.

Jonah stayed in place under Koko's hold, hardly still. He fidgeted his arms and legs, uncharacteristically impatient.

 _Why did Ugo park so far away?_ he asked himself irritably. The bulky man landed the V-22 at the edge of the jungle, far away from where the last of the explosions were. Reason came up with the thought that she might not recognize who they were, it wouldn't be a good idea for them to be shot down just as they came to rescue. She was still dangerous after all.

Even over the weakening whine of the twin rotors, he could hear the distinctive whup-whup of approaching helicopters. Several in fact, a handful in one direction with a few in the other.

"Koko" Jonah pointed the noise out to her, and she nodded.

"We'll have to be quick. Fan out, find Rock" she commanded.

"Yes ma'am" they chorused with determination, each one of them taking off in a light jog through the rough leftover brush. Lehm, Lutz, R, Mao, Ugo, Valmet, Wiley, and Tojo, all moving with purpose. Only Jonah was left, forced to wait while Koko held onto him. It tore at the boy to be keeping still, especially at a time like this. But he had to wait, she had to be found first. The moment the others did though, then nothing would stop him.

A stick cracked, alerting them to the presence of their newest (and unwelcome) ally. She surveyed the cleared area of jungle, the humans that were both fast and cautious, and the two that stayed back. Glancing their way, she found both the cerulean and red gazes of both upon her.

"Once she's back to normal, you're leaving?" Koko questioned without preamble.

"I will stay long enough to confirm the change and alert my superiors. Then I will depart" she answered blandly. The boy looked away the moment she closed her mouth, scanning the area with something that seemed like longing. She scoffed.

"You let your emotions control you too much" White Rock Shooter lectured.

Jonah swiveled his head slowly, his eyes hardening. He looked her in the eye, unlike every human thus far he was showing no trace of fear.

"Shut up."

She blinked, her cold exterior fracturing for a moment.

"Excuse me?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I do not want to hear you yap about how much better you and your ways are. I don't care, nothing you say or do is going to change that" she opened her mouth to retort, but he preempted her.

"And before you argue, despite being an almighty powerful being you had to ask us humans for help. From what I've seen, without that" he gestured to her greave "You're no different than us" he finished scornfully, dismissively turning away and leaving her shocked.

Koko quietly whistled, wondering if it was bravery or ignorance that made him speak out. No matter the reason, seeing the brown skinned girl's jaw drop was worth it.

"You ignorant little worm-" White Rock Shooter began angrily, her fists clenching. She was interrupted by one of the men, Tojo, shouting something.

Jonah took off, breaking Koko's hold easily. She let go without a fuss, sparing a grin at a flabbergasted White Rock Shooter before jogging after him, a rough plan coming into focus before they reached Rock.

* * *

Insane Black Rock Shooter gasped. Breathing raggedly, she tried to rise. For some reason her arm wasn't responding properly, when she looked at it the limb was bent at an odd angle. Groaning, her chains rippled to plant the edges of her three weapons in the ground to push her body up. Even that was hard, she had to put far more effort into the simple move than what she thought she would.

Getting off the ground at last, she coldly noted her arm wasn't the only thing wrong with her. One of her eyes was bleary, unable to focus. Dabbing a finger from her good arm, she found a spot of black ichor on the end. Frowning further, she traced the line of warm liquid up her face, finding a cut above her brow. For the amount of blood on her, the cut was tiny. She thought she remembered one of the men telling her that head wounds always bleed so much, which one however escaped her. It bothered her that she couldn't remember.

Mentally Insane Black Rock Shooter was adjusting her plan for the future. Avoiding the unseen plane with the massive guns was going to take priority from this point on, if it reappeared then next time she wasn't escaping alive. Luck played a role this time, but luck wasn't something to rely on. She looked around for Jonah; blood splattered or not he comforted her with his mere presence, and she needed comforting after that brush with death. Idly she grabbed her broken arm and forced it back to where it was supposed to be with a sickening crack.

Shouting caught her attention, making her nearly dead eye flame brighten up. Rising further, she was able to plant both of her oddly heavy boots (she was sure they weren't so heavy before) onto the charred ground. Insane Black Rock Shooter glanced to the voices, grimly wondering if they were real or not. After a few seconds she decided they were, but more she heard them the more they tickled her memory. With a start she recognized the closest.

She picked herself as much as she could, not getting further than a lazy slump. Lutz stopped trundling ahead and stayed a short distance away, keeping the M4 rifle in his grip pointed at her. Insane Black Rock Shooter brightened up her features, accomplishing a smile that had more in common with a grimace. When she dragged her weakened legs across the smoldered ground to get closer to him, the blonde man backed away.

Confused, she glanced around to see the others in the vicinity. Everyone except for Valmet and Ugo had a gun, all of them pointed at her. None of her comrades came closer, keeping a minimum of a thirty foot buffer between them. Her happy expression faded into puzzlement, going from face to face and finding the same emotions on all of them. Wariness, with uncertain cheer mixed in. They didn't look enthused at seeing her, why? She didn't understand why they weren't as happy as she was.

Maybe they didn't want her back. She remembered how they acted with Dead Master; barely concealed and poor tolerated loathing. At the time she thought it was because her own hatred had rubbed off on them, or that they recognized the horned girl wasn't to be trusted. Now, she wondered if they ever thought of her as anything more than a thing, a pet that Koko took in on a whim. Everything the pale woman did for her, it was just to keep her docile.

Ugly thoughts wormed their way into her mind, making her features harden. Insane Black Rock Shooter recalled how Lehm and R fled during the encounter with Kaspar. He didn't care if she survived, didn't care of the boy survived. They were expendable, Kaspar was their opportunity to dispatch of them both. She made the leap that they were working with him, a plot to end her and to kill him. All of their shared times, getting food, teaching her etiquette, guns, traveling, the fond memories she carried were twisted into caricatures that showed her how much they hated her.

Her features compounded into a scowl when she saw Koko approach, seeing her force someone short behind her, likely Dead Master. She adjusted her stance, noting with zero interest that her arm was better and her legs felt normal again. The cut on her forehead had healed, staunching the flow of her black blood. It didn't matter that she was healing at an incredible rate, faster than her own far superior ability. An idle observation, nothing more. It came second to her new thoughts.

In her mind, she was reclassifying her friends as enemies. And she was preparing to deal with them accordingly.

The others moved to the side a short distance, giving Koko more space to approach. A cautious move of her hand made the men and woman lower the guns, albeit reluctantly. She didn't care about the gesture. Guns or not, none of them stood a chance against her. Insane Black Rock Shooter planned only to hear what the pale woman had to say, as she was clearly preparing to do. Threat, plea, invite, whatever it was going to be. She would hear her out, then kill them all.

Taking a deep breath, Koko tried not to gulp. The way Rock was staring at her, that cold gaze that lacked any emotion, was jarring. Internally she noted she had gotten used to the more emotive girl that she had become, one that would only turn that deathly calm stare upon her enemies. She wondered if the corrupted girl was thinking of them as hostile; a cold shiver crawled up her spine when she realized they were giving that impression.

"Rock?" Koko hesitantly called out, forcing herself to close the distance while keeping her arm behind her, to hold the boy back. She knew full well she had to be careful, one false move and they would all die for nothing.

Insane Black Rock Shooter inclined her head back several degrees in acknowledgment.

"What happened tonight, its my fault. Jonah, this, everything here. I shouldn't have fallen for Kaspar's taunts. I'm" she gulped "I'm sorry."

The cold stare with the calmly blazing fire over her eye didn't change at all.

"I don't know if you trust me anymore. I suppose you don't have much reason to at this point. But I want you to trust me when I say I want to make you better" Koko went on.

Black Rock Shooter dipped her head down the same distance it rose from.

"Some" Koko hesitated on her wording "Informants, they told me about this state you're in. It's reversible, all that's needed is the right person. So, there's someone I want you to meet." A chain behind her armored form rattled, a weapon being brought to bear. Koko tugged, gently guiding the all too willing individual that she had to grab ahold of because of well justified fear out from behind her.

Jonah came out from behind her willingly, his eyes meeting Black Rock Shooter's.

Instantly her features contorted. She gasped, the calm facade shattered. As Jonah came fully into sight, a tremble came into Insane Black Rock Shooter's body. Her hands twitched uncontrollably, her legs turned into jelly, and her breathing became frantic. When Koko stepped back to give them some room, she reflexively jerked back. Her face was one of utter shock, of someone that was seeing the impossible.

Jonah softly smiled "Its me."

 **Trackplay: His Theme - Undertale OST**

Insane Black Rock Shooter couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't, it simply wasn't possible. She saw what happened in front of her, she still saw it in vivid detail. The gun firing, Jonah jerking back, the blood, it all played in her mind. She was unable to reconcile the memory with the boy less than twenty feet away, she simply couldn't. Yet the impossible refused to vanish. Everything around her faded away.

When he stepped forward, the cannon leapt into her hand. She jerked the massive weapon to him, just as she did for so many others. But no one else made her hand shake like he did now, causing the triangular bayonet to quiver like it never had before. Though the weapon was clunky in the extreme, she wielded it with great skill, able to line up near perfect shots numerous times. Now she was uncertain that she could hit a stationary target from such a short distance.

Another step and she backed away, jerking the cannon down some. Her breathing was close to hyperventilation, coming in and out as ragged gasps. Her entire body was quivering, shocked and afraid at the sight of Jonah, unharmed and very much alive. For a delirious moment she thought she was hallucinating again, that he was nothing more than a manifestation of her insanity.

When he stepped on a stick to approach her, she coldly realized that he wasn't a figment of her imagination. No imagining of her mind was ever this vivid, this detailed.

He was real.

Jonah was alive.

"I'm here" he said softly, his voice threatening to drown away in the background of her own panicked breathing.

With a fearful snarl she yanked the cannon up and let loose a short burst of the lethal bolts in his direction. The ground around him was tore up, and she heard several of the men curse in surprise. Not one shot hit him, though a couple came perilously close. But that failed to stop Jonah, didn't even slow him down. That relentless walk, that soft smile, it never vanished.

Flinging the cannon aside, the sword took its place in her metal grip. It too was shaking, the blade practically vibrating from her trembling hand. Still he approached, calmly defiant in the face of her weak combat stance. In his eyes was no trace of fear.

Only in the last couple of feet did he change his speed, jumping forward to meet her dispirited attempt at a slash. He avoided it, unlike so many others. He rushed past her shaking arms while she tried to kill him. Then he did something that she never thought she would ever feel again.

He hugged her.

Jonah wrapped his arms around her, pressing close, and squeezed. Insane Black Rock Shooter stopped heaving. She stopped fighting, she stopped moving, she stopped everything. Her jagged sword fell from her limp fingers, all three of her chains becoming inert. It was too much, she couldn't accept what was happening to her right now.

"Its okay" Jonah whispered. His voice was close to silent, audible only because he was so close.

She could feel him, the warmth and pressure that was absent from her visions. He was a source of comfort that she thought she would never feel again. Her hands shook again, trembling in uncertainty. Yet they rose, going from her sides to gently slide across his torso. She could feel the flesh underneath, carrying the distinctive feel of life. At that second, she knew he was here with her.

The dam broke. The hate and anger that sustained her for the entire time faded away, the machine like composure that she had created irrevocably shattered. She clutched him, squeezing tight enough to hurt. He didn't mind the slight pain, nor did he mind when her legs gave out from under her. Briefly holding her weight, he gently descended to the ground, coming onto their knees. She buried her face into his chest, all the emotions she forgot existed flooding back. She cried and cried, this time not in grief, but happiness. The simple fact that had propelled her was reversed. Jonah was here, alive in her arms. The gaping wound in her heart was finally healing.

Jonah didn't say anything, he didn't need to. He held on to the sobbing girl, letting her pour out her happiness and relief. She held onto him tight enough to hurt, he did the same as best as he could.

Something cracked in his arms. Curious, Jonah looked down to the metal arm clutching him. A large fracture had appeared on the surface, spreading into a growing spiderweb of cracks as he watched. Flecks began to fall away, evaporating before they hit the ground. The armor that covered her was falling away. As she cried, it was coming apart.

The plates over her legs fell away first, dissolving into rusty dust that faded away. The vest cracked into three major chunks, a single piece lodging itself between them until it too faded away. With a weak rattle the chained weapons fell apart. What remained of the seemingly robotic arm fell away to reveal a perfectly formed and pale skinned arm underneath. She looked up to him, the black metal cap easily sliding away to bounce off the ground once before it became dust too.

Jonah peered into her eyes, inches away when the flickering purple flame changed. He was so close to it, yet he felt no heat. Right in front of him, the flame extinguished itself in the blink of an eye. A new one blossomed in its place a heartbeat later, this one the familiar shade of blue that he now associated with her.

Jonah smiled "Welcome back."

Peering into his eyes, Black Rock Shooter smiled.

Her head fell on his chest again, not minding at all the water soaked shirt against her face. She held onto him, hugging him tight just as he was hugging her. Idly his hand slid up to gently run his fingers over the back of her neck, getting across his own feelings as best as he could. For a second she tried burying her head further into him, reveling in the feel of him. Hardly noticed by either was the flame dying out entirely.

Jonah took a deep breath, preparing himself for something that frightened him.

"Rock?"

She looked up, tears still streaming out but a note of curiosity in her blue gear inlaid eyes.

"I..." he gulped, suddenly avoiding eye contact.

Confusion flickered across her features. It only grew worse when she saw his cheeks reddening. Slowly her hand lifted up, cupping the gloved palm on his cheek to push his head over. Looking at her again, she was momentarily surprised to see what appeared to be nervousness in his eyes. He sighed once more.

"I've never done this before" he quietly admitted.

Her heart fluttered. Did he mean...

"Rock, I...I..." he struggled before exhaling.

"I love you."

Black Rock Shooter stared blankly for several seconds, unable to believe her ears. Jonah was worried that he'd made a terrible mistake until she smiled, the prettiest smile that he'd ever seen. Then came an action he'd never envisioned possible: she leaned in right up to him to briefly press her lips against his.

Jonah's mouth hung open, just as shocked as she was a moment earlier. Upon seeing him so flustered she giggled quietly, and he couldn't help the surge of affection that welled within him.

"Okay, lets get out of here" he said. She nodded in agreement, still smiling.

Twenty feet away, White Rock Shooter scoffed at the romantic display. She glanced around to note that the particular gleam of pride and happiness was on the features of all the humans in sight, the pale woman especially. Deciding that the boy had fulfilled his purpose she started to move closer, to deal with the problem once and for all. She made it only one step before she stopped, a curious tingle running down her spine. Narrowing her eyes, she looked down to her feet, where a small creature sat on its haunches looking up at her.

"You" she said, giving a sarcastic nod at it.

The small red fox flicked its ear.

"You and your patron were warned to not intervene in this world. Explain your purpose here" she quietly demanded.

It pawed at its nose, making her snort.

"For a being such as yourself you should be above such petty notions. Why did you bother altering events here" she half snarled.

The fox twitched one ear and then the other.

"Typical. Averting the deaths of billions wasn't enough for you. But what's done is done. I will take my leave of this wretched planet, if we cross paths again my superiors will not be forgiving" she warned.

The fox stood back and and darted away, vanishing into a convenient shadow. Looking back up, White Rock Shooter saw the smirking face of Koko a few feet away.

"So?" she asked expectantly. The pale woman didn't witness the exchange; the fox wasn't so stupid as to allow a human to see it, much less one that it personally interfered with.

"My work here is done. If fortune smiles upon me, I will never set foot here again" she answered dryly.

"Pleasure doing business with you" Koko said cheekily. White Rock Shooter snorted.

With a wave of her greave a black elliptic sphere grew into existence a few feet away. Not giving so much as a backwards glance she stepped into the greasy blackness, vanishing entirely. The orb flickered and faded away, then she was gone.

Black Rock Shooter was still weak, so Jonah had to help her up to her feet. Holding on firmly, he half lifted half guided her up. She held on to him, stumbling a little in her task. At least she appeared to; in reality she was much more intent on touching him, making sure he would not slip her grasp now or ever again. Once up her legs turned out to be somewhat wobbly, meaning he had to help her with that too. The thought of complaining never crossed his mind.

The men kept their distance during the reunion, unsure or unwilling to intervene. Now they all crowded the pair, smiling broadly with relief evident.

"Good job Jonah" Lutz complemented.

"That was amazing guys" Valmet said.

"So little Rock-chan is back to normal" Tojo cheered.

"Great" Ugo clapped them both on the shoulder.

"I knew you both could do it" Wiley smiled broadly.

"This is fantastic" Mao added.

"I'm happy for you two" R grinned.

"About time" Lehm chuckled.

Koko stepped in front of them with her arms akimbo, genuinely smiling. She noted a number of little details on the two teenagers in front of her, especially the way Jonah's hand was snugly nestled in Black Rock Shooter's grip.

"So, hell of a night" she said good-naturedly. Black Rock Shooter had a rather cute grin on her face, which drew less attention from Koko than the small yet endearing smile on Jonah. Long had she wished for the boy to express himself, now her wish was granted in front of her.

"Sadly we're not done just yet" Koko said, internally wincing at the dampening mood that spread through the crowded group.

"Say, where's Gold Saw at?" Mao commented, looking around. A few others swept their heads around the area, but the horned woman was nowhere to be found.

"She upheld her end of the bargain. Next time we bump into her..." an evil chuckle came over her, and malicious grins took a spot on most of the men. The sole exceptions were Valmet (who was nodding in approval) and the newly christened lovebirds.

"In the meantime, lets hunt down my brother and give him a slow death" Koko proclaimed. Jonah and Black Rock Shooter especially nodded in agreement.

The whup-whup of approaching helicopters interrupted the next thing she was going to say. Almost in unison all eleven of them, men and women, human and not, professionals one and all, peered to the sky. Three helicopters, UH-60 Blackhawks, were closing in over the field. One stayed by the edge of the clearing in a patrol, one closed in on the parked V-22, and the last one came closer for a landing. Powerful searchlights blazed from them all. With how dark it was, none of them could see what flag the choppers had painted on the sides. Thailand or American? With the last one descending they were about to have their answer.

"Koko?" R asked carefully. The pale woman grinned.

"We came this far, no way we're going down after all that. Just leave it to me, I'll have them eating out of my hand in no time" Koko boasted. Jonah nodded. He glanced at Black Rock Shooter, who returned his grin.

The boy didn't know how they were going to get out of this mess, but he knew they would. It was what they did after all.

With Rock by his side, Jonah was ready for anything.

xXx

 **A/N: _THIS IS NOT CANON._**


	20. Of Everything

**A/N: Well, this is it. The conclusion of this tale is here. I'm certain most of you are wondering what the so-called "End" chapter's closing line meant; the answer is exactly what it said. The happy cheerful ending, Jonah and Rock are together, Koko got them all out of their newest pickle with style, the bad guys are either dead or dealt with, et cetera. Everyone is happy. Good? Good.**

 **Except no.**

 **That is not the way this story is going to end. It's the way you wished for and certainly expected, but not how it is going to finish. That was just a show to see what a happy end feels like. For both you and I.**

 **Before I start with the ending itself, let the credits roll for everyone. First off is to Keitaro Takahashi for creating Jormungand, an awesome anime and cool manga. Ryohei Fuke AKA Huke, for coming up with Black Rock Shooter and that whole crazed universe. White Fox for making an anime for the former, Fuji TV for making the latter. All music has their respective credits, I'm not going to list them all off. Wikipedia for all the miscellaneous information that helped me bring life to the setting.**

 **Acidika, for sticking with this almost since the beginning, even through the dumb moments. Especially the dumb moments. As well as idea bouncing, can't forget that. And the smut, and the new take, so on and so forth.**

 **Admiral Fatass, for reviewing constantly and making awesome SFM stills. You got talent for that dude. I'd put a link here for others to see but fanfiction hates that, if anyone wants to see it for yourself PM the man.**

 **TykkiMikk, for the kind reviews and the occasional idea.**

 **Yuki Kyuu Aizawa, .proxy, scouttroop, and Weasel AKA boundsumo, in addition to the reviews, for putting a Favorite on this. I do appreciate that.**

 **VentXekart, for the kind reviews as well. I'd have you higher but no fav. Still appreciate the support though. I'm sorry for never getting back to you in a timely manner, for some reason I don't get an email when you leave a review.**

 **Bulldan, for being the first to put a follow on Lost in Transition. Congrats.**

 **And you the reader, for peering into this deluded mind and witnessing what lies inside. This really should have been a dumb idea, but thanks to you it came to truly exist. Couldn't have done this without you. And with that, you have permission to lynch me.**

* * *

"Rock, I...I..." Jonah struggled before exhaling, the difficulty of what he was about to say was beyond all his experiences. Finally he decided to take the plunge.

"I love you."

Black Rock Shooter stared blankly for several seconds, unable to believe her own ears. He was worried that he had made a horrible mistake until she smiled, the prettiest smile that he'd ever seen. Then came an action he'd never envisioned possible: she leaned in right up to him to briefly press her lips against his. Nothing more than a chaste kiss, but it meant more to him than anything else.

When she pulled back a little, Black Rock Shooter let out a tiny giggle at his flustered expression. The way his face turned an interesting shade of red was amusing, a fact that only increased her love for him. It pained her that she couldn't speak to return the words; she made it her new mission to find a way to express her feelings as he did, a phone wasn't going to cut it for such an important goal.

Jonah could've sat on his knees holding her all day long and he wouldn't have had a thought of complaint. He very well might have, but when a hand came to rest on his shoulder he was pulled out of his blissful reverie. Black Rock Shooter's smile was suddenly broken, alarm growing in her eyes at something beside him. When he glanced over, he saw a white hand connected to a brown skinned palm. Too late he realized it was a glove.

Unseen force applied itself to both of them. On the girl it kept her in place, unable to move or escape. On the boy it lightened him up considerably, allowing the hand's owner to contemptuously toss him aside. Jonah let out a startled "Oomph!" when he hit the ground, only a few feet away from them. Just far enough to let her stand over Black Rock Shooter unimpeded.

"Now for you" was all White Rock Shooter said before she raised the greave covered hand over the girl's head.

 **Trackplay: Don't Go, Bring Me The Horizon**

Held in place by the power and still weak from the traumatic change, Black Rock Shooter could only stare helplessly at the figure above her. Jonah struggled back up, ice cold worry clenching his heart. He was panicking, remembering all too clearly what the girl was capable of. Visions of horrible things danced in front of his eyes as he darted back to her.

Instead of the light that heralded destruction, a strange sheen of darkness left White Rock Shooter's palm over her head. It consolidated into a small orb of black smoke that hung over the girl's head for a moment before it swam outwards, passing over every inch of the girl's body. As his terrified eyes watched, Jonah saw the parts of her that were touched by the smoke begin to shimmer.

When he reached Rock a frantic heartbeat later, he grabbed ahold of her body, seeing her on the verge of panic. She was hyperventilating, looking to him in true fear. As he watched, her form was beginning to become translucent.

"What...what did you do?!" Jonah demanded angrily. White Rock Shooter snorted at his emotional display.

"I am sending her back to her native realm. The transition process is sluggish however. You have thirty seconds remaining" she said blandly, watching them with no trace of sympathy.

Eyes widening, Jonah frantically turned back to her. Rock was struggling, her eyes blazing in terror. He grabbed her shoulders, desperate to hold on to her. Under his rough hands he felt her skin start to become weaker, far more pliable than a minute earlier. She too pawed at him, her own hands latching onto him for dear life.

"I'm here, I'm here" Jonah said to her in a full blown panic, all the while he kept thinking _This isn't happening, not now, not after everything we've gone through_.

Rock's whimpering reached a fever pitch. In front of his eyes he saw the translucence start to spread, her entire form becoming incorporeal. She grabbed the front of his shirt, but to his horror her fingers began to slide right through him. For just a moment he smelled dust, ashes of her original home. Jonah knew what was happening, however desperately he willed it otherwise. She knew it too, wishing for the same thing he was.

Jonah hugged her for all his worth, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same. Rock gave the impression of holding on for him to save her, which he tried with all of his strength. He had to force himself to loosen his hold when he saw his arms start to phase through her body, fearing that he could hurt her. He tried to keep her there, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop the process. Burying her head into the crook of his neck, she gasped in terror. Tears streamed down her face, but he didn't feel them.

"Don't go" he whispered, tears leaking out as he hugged her.

Rock was almost gone, her legs and lower torso had vanished entirely. The effect spread upwards, inexorably consuming her. Her torso vanished, then her arms. But still they held on to each other. The contact on his skin faded and disappeared. Even her whimpering faded.

At the last second, he heard something. Something he never thought he would hear. A consequence of being caught between dimensions. Brought on by being in two worlds simultaneously, if only for the briefest of time. She spoke.

Just a whisper in his ear, her voice restored at the very last moment that she resided on this world. Only three words left her lips, just three that meant more to him than all of the angels of heaven. The first and last words he ever heard her speak.

" _I love you._ "

Then Black Rock Shooter was gone.

Jonah was still for a moment. Numbly he comprehended the impossible, that he held her in his arms and now she was gone. After everything that they had gone through, it ended like this. He collapsed, sobbing in sadness and grief. Tears spilled out, unrestrained. All of his self control was broken, shattered just as his heart was.

Koko abandoned her observation to rush over, icy fear clawing at her. She dove to his side, putting her hands on his shuddering form in an effort to still him. Even though she didn't understand what happened, she saw the results in front of her.

"Jonah?" she whispered, her mask shattered as she beheld his grief stricken face. Long had she wished to see him truly express himself instead of keeping that stoic mask on; now she regretted her wish with all of her heart.

"W-w-why-y" he heaved between his ragged gasps.

Still holding onto his rocking form, her gaze hardened to the most dangerous expression of her entire life. All of her hostility was directed at the bored girl that continued to watch them.

"Why?" Koko repeated simply.

"Were you really so naive to assume that I would let her roam free? She is dealt with, my mission is complete. I even extended you the courtesy of sparing her life, something none of you deserve" White Rock Shooter answered dully.

Her words came out as a near growl "Get out of here. I never want to see you here again."

"Or what?" she remarked.

Koko's response was merely a hard glare, all the while she held on to the crying boy. Her telling silence made the thing in front of her grunt in contempt.

"That's what I thought. But no matter, my work here is done" White Rock Shooter finished.

She turned to the side and waved her greave covered hand. A black orb appeared and ballooned into a large sphere, briefly sending an electric shock down Koko's arm. Without a backwards glance White Rock Shooter stepped through the portal, the anomaly dissipating out of existence a moment later.

Cautiously the seven men and one woman approached the huddled pair, noting at once the absence of the girl. None of them said anything to the sight of a heartbroken Jonah and a grimly sympathetic Koko, not even when the roar of a trio of helicopters announced the arrival of new friends/foes. One of them came closer to them, coming in for a landing. Their boss would get them out of the situation of course, but what then?

Jonah could only huddle in on himself, fruitlessly trying to hold on to the vanished Black Rock Shooter.

* * *

 **A/N: _THIS ENDING IS CANON._**

 **Do I regret doing this? A little. Maybe more than a little. But it's done, no point dwelling on it. So now I end this tale, a series I've put plenty of blood sweat and tears into (that's not melodrama, I sliced my finger open by accident while I was writing Faraway). It's over, at long last its done. I'll be taking a little vacation from fanfiction for a while, have to get some new stories plotted out and written. Plus work and stuff.**

 **This is How-Not-To-Do-Something, saying farewell to you all and to all a good night.**


End file.
